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NEW  YORK  CITY  TRANSIT 


I  IMPROVEMENTS  NEEDED  IN  THE  OPERATION  OF 

EXISTING  TRANSIT  FACILITIES 

II  IMPROVEMENT   IN   CONSTRUCTION   OF  EXISTING 

UNES 

III   EXTENDING     OR    COMPLETING    EXISTING    LINES 
OR    LINES    UNDER    CONTRACT 


IV  TYPES  OF  TRANSIT  LINES 
V   GENERAL    INVESTIGATION 
VI   SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS 


GIFT 
AUG"^@  1926 


0FTH3 


A    MEMORANDUM    v.^'NlVEP^ 


ADDRESSED    TO     THE 


PUBLIC  SERVICE  COMMISSION 

OF    THE    FIRST    DISTRICT 


THE^ITY  CLUB  OF   NEW  YORK 


July   22,   1907 


/V67 


'y<>c. 


The  City  Club  of  New  York.I 
55  West  44th  Street,  \ 

New  York,  July  22,  1907.     I 
To  the  Members 

of  the  Public  Service  Commission 
of  the  First  District: 

Gentlemen — We  beg  to  send  you  herewith  a  memorandum, 
in  behalf  of  the  City  Club,  in  relation  to  the  transit  situation  in 
New  York  City. 

For  several  years  the  City  Club  has  observed  closely  transit 
conditions  and  has  endeavored  to  secure  their  improvement.  In 
this  work  it  has  had  the  benefit  of  expert  assistance.  The  recom- 
mendations embodied  in  this  memorandum  are  the  results  of  the 
Club's  study  along  these  lines.  The  facts  in  regard  to  the  present 
operations  of  various  transit  lines  have  been  collected,  in  the  main, 
within  the  past  three  months,  by  trained  assistants,  and  illustrate 
conditions  now  existing. 

We  trust  that  the  facts  herein  set  forth  will  be  of  value  to  you, 
and  believe  that  a  full  investigation  on  your  part  will  indicate  that 
the  measures  proposed  are  feasible  and  that  they  would,  if  carried 
into  effect,  materially  improve  transit  conditions  in  this  city  in 
the  very  near  future. 

In  behalf  of  the  City  Club. 

Homer  Folks,  Chairman. 
John  P.  Fox, 
Frederick  Palmer, 
Henry  C.  Wright,  Secretary, 
Committee  on  Transit  Facilities."'- 
George  McAneny, 

President. 


*  FRANK  L.  BABBOTT,  also  a   member  of  the  Committee,  has  been  absent  from 
the  country  during  the  preparation  of  the  memorandum. 


630029 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS* 


1— IMPROVEMENT  NEEDED  IN   THE  OPERATION   OF  EXIST- 
ING TRANSIT  FACILITIES. 

RELIEF  OF  BRIDGE  CRUSH. 

PAGE 

Changes  in  the  operation  of  bridge  cars 5 

Sub-surface  terminal  at  Brooklyn  Bridge  for  all  trains  and  surface 

cars    5 

Diagram  of  lush  hour  travel  at  Brooklyn  Bridge  terminal 6 

Surface  line  between  Williamsburg  Bridge  and  City  Hall 7 

Traffic  agreement  desirable  between  the  Interborough  and  B.  R.  T. 

for  free  transfers  at  Borough  Hall  to  and  from  Brooklyn  tunnel.  7 

Subway. 

Diagram  of  north-bound  rush  hour  travel 8 

Extent   of   overcrowding g 

Diagram  of  south-bound   rush   hour   travel lo 

Diagram  of  local  track  rush  hour  and  Sunday  travel 12 

Need   of  new  type  of  equipment 13 

Diagram  of  side-door  cars 14 

Side-door  cars  the  quickest  and  cheapest  method  of  relieving  con- 
gestion       T5 

The  Illinois  Central  side-door  car 15 

Diagram  of  cross  sections  of  types  of  construction 16 

More  and  better  destination  signs  needed ig 

Better  lighting  of  cars 21 

Elevated  Roads. 

Extent    of    overcrowding 21 

Diagrams  of  north-bound  rush  hour  trains 20,  22 

Advisability  of  inclosing  vestibules 2.\. 

Cleanliness   of  cars 24 

Surface  Road.s. 

Diagram  of  north-bound  rush  hour  travel  on  Madison  avenue 26 

Overcrowding  on  Madison  avenue 27 

Traffic  conditions  on  Twenty-third  street 27 

Diagram  of  west-bound  rush  hour  travel  on  Twenty-third  street.  .  28 

Transfer  .system   2g 

Need    of  vestibules 29 


ii  TABLE   OF   CONTENTS. 

PAGE 

Accidents    30 

Power  brakes    30 

Fenders    31 

How  to  f iirnisli  more  scats 32 

Cross   seats    35 

Montreal    fare    system 35 

Miscellaneous    suggestions    36 

II.— IMPROVEMENT  IN  CONSTRUCTION  OF  EXISTING  LINES. 

Sue  WAY. 

Concrete   floors    ■^'] 

Improvement    in    ventilation 37 

Need   of   fire   hydrants 38 

Need  of  more  emergency  stairways 38 

Elevated  Roads. 

Reduction  of  noise 3g 

Need  of   drip  pans 39 

Sl'RFACE  Ro.\DS. 

Electrification   of   all    lines 40 

Better    method    of   electrification 40 

Removal   of   unused    tracks 41 

Protection  o f  car  houses  against  fire \\ 

III.— EXTENDING     OR     COMPLETING     EXISTING     LINES  OR 
LINES  UNDER  CONTRACT. 

Completion  of  subway  loop 42 

Extension  of  subway  to  Prospect  Park 42 

Need  of  P'ourth  avenue  route  in  Brooklyn 43 

Line  from  Times  Square  south 43 

Third  track  on  Second  and  Third  avenues 45 

IV.— TYPES  OF  TRANSIT  LINES. 

Consideration  of  the  adequacy  of  the  present  types  of  rapid  transit 

lines    17 

v.— GENERAL  INVESTIGATION. 

General    investigation    suggested 49 

VI.— SUMMARY    OF   RECOMMENDATIONS. 


'    I.     IMPROVEMENTS    NEEDED    IN    THE 
OPERATION     OF     EXISTING 
TRANSIT  FACILITIES. 

I.  TRANSIT  BETWEEN  BROOKLYN  AND  MAN- 
HATTAN. 

Are  the  bridge  cars  operated  during  rush  houis  so  as  to 
minimize  the  crush  as  much  as  possible?  ■ 

Ol;SERVATX()NS 

Diagram  I  gives  evidence  of  the  crush  at  Brooklyn  Bridge, 
as  observed  May  14,  1907.  It  shows  that  between  the  hours  of 
5  and  5.30  p.  m.  3,971  passengers  were  unable  to  get  seats,  be- 
tween 5.30  and  6  p.  m.  6,696,  and  between  6  and  6.30 
p.  m.  4,364.  Though  the  number  of  standing  passen- 
gers is  very  large,  yet  the  danger  of  the  crush  lies  not  so 
much  in  this  condition  as  in  the  ruthless  crowding  while  board- 
ing the  cars.  Passengers  during  rush  hours  in  the  evening 
are  all  loaded  from  one  platform  having  5.172  square  feet  of  avail- 
able surface.  It  has  four  stairways,  with  an  aggregate  width  of  33 
feet.  All  trains  before  reaching  this  one  platform  stop  beside  one 
of  two  platforms,  one  having-  an  available  area  of  6,070  and  the 
other  5,830  square  feet,  or  an  aggregate  area  of  11,900  square 
feet.  The  aggregate  width  of  the  stairways  leading-  tO'  these 
two  platforms  is  60  feet.  These  platforms  are  used  for  loading 
or  unloading  passengers  in  the  slack  hours,  but  not  used 
during  rush  hours,  though  every  train  stops  at  one  or  the  other 
of  them.  I 

Is  it  feasible  to  have  all  elevated  trains  crossing  the  Brooklyn 
Bridge  run  into  a  subsurface  terminal,  thereby  doing 
away  with  excessive  stair  climbing? 

Or-SERVATIONS 

A  passenger  at  the  present  time  transferring  from  a  subway 
train  to  an  elevated  train  at  the  bridge  terminal  must  climb  four 


flights  of  stairs,  an  aggregate  height  of  SSV^  feet.  A  subway  sta- 
tion adjoining  the  present  subway  station  is  now  under  contract 
for  construction  as  a  part  of  the  subway  loop.  If  this  were  en- 
larged, so  as  to  enable  all  of  the  elevated  trains  to  run  into  it, 
stair  climbing  would  be  reduced  to  one  flight  of  sufficient  height 
to  permit  crossing  over  or  beneath  the  tracks.  This  stair  climbing 
is  a  consideration  very  deterrent  to  citizens  contemplating  Brook- 
lyn as  a  place  of  residence. 

Can  surface  cars  be  operated  from  the  east  end  of  Williams- 
burg Bridge  to  City  Hall  and  on  the  basis  of  one  fare 
from  any  part  of  Brooklyn? 

OjiSERVAIIONS-  - 

Surface  car  tracks  of  the  New  York  City  Railway  L'ompany 
extend  continuously  from  Williamsburg  Bridge,  through  De- 
lancey  street,  the  Bo\\er}'  and  P'ark  Row.  By  traffic  agreement 
between  the  companies,  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  cars  could  be 
run  over  this  line  if  equipped  with  detachable  plows  to  make 
connection  with  the  underground  trolley,  which  equipment  would 
cost  not  to  exceed  $200  per  car.  Only  a  small  number  of 
cars  would  be  needed  for  this  short  run  service.  Transfers  could 
be  issued  between  all  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  cars  running  to 
Williamsburg  Bridge  and  the  cars  running  to  City  Hall.  The 
run  could  be  made  from  the  east  end  of  Williamsburg  Bridge  to 
City  Hall  in  22  minutes.  Were  such  a  line  established,  no  doubt 
many  now  coming  to  Manhattan  via  Brooklyn  Bridge  would  use 
the  Williamsburg"  Bridge. 

Can  some  traffic  agreement  be  arranged  between  the  Inter- 
borough  and  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Company 
that  will  permit  transfers  between  their  systems  at 
Borough  Hall  and  beyond,  thereby  using  the  new 
Brooklyn-Battery  tunnel  to  its  fullest  capacity,  pend- 
ing the  completion  of  the  Manhattan  Bridge? 

Observations — 

The  physical  equipment  for  immediate  and  certain  alleviation 
of  the  "  bridg-e  crush  "  both  in  connection  with  the  elevated  trains 


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2.  THE  SUBWAY: 

and  the  trolleys,  will  be  at  hand  the  moment  the  Brooklyn-Batterv 
tunnel  is  completed.  The  only  thing  lacking  is  a  traffic  agreement 
at  least  temporary,  between  two  transit  companies  (the  Inter- 
borough  and  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit)  to  make  unnecessary 
the  payment  of  two  fares  by  persons  going  from  any  part  of 
Brooklyn  to  Manhattan.  The  carrying  capacity  of  the  tunnel  will 
be  about  30,000  per  hour  in  one  direction,  which  nearly  equals  the 
number  per  hour  being  carried  across  Brooklyn  Bridge  on  bridge 
cars.  As  the  tunnel  will  probably  be  opened  this  fall,  "  the  crush  " 
would  be  almost  immediately  solved  by  such  an  agreement. 

Each  of  these  companies  will  be  an  applicant  before  the  Com- 
mission for  additional  privileges  of  various  sorts;  in  connection 
with  the  consideration  of  these  applications  we  submit  that  in  the 
development  of  the  situation  traffic  agreements  of  the  nature  indi- 
cated above  might  very  properly  be  demanded. 


To  what  extent  are  trains  overcrow^ded  during  the  rush  hours? 

Observations — 

The  following  provisions  are  contained  in  Contract  No.  i 
governing  the  operation  of  the  present  subway :  "The  Contractor 
shall,  so  far  as  practicable,  meet  all  reasonable  requirements  of 
the  public  in  respect  of  frequency  and  character  of  its  railway 
service  to  the  full  limit  of  the  capacity  of  the  railroad."  "The 
Contractor  covenants  to  and  with  the  City  that  the  Contractor  will, 
during  the  term  of  the  lease,  operate  the  railroad  carefully  and 
skilfully,  according  to  the  highest  known  standards  of  radway 
operation."  (Page  168.)  "The  Contractor  shall  at  no  time  and 
in  no  event  be  at  liberty  to  object  to  the  plans  or  specifications 
upon  which  the  railroad  has  been  constructed,  or  the  manner  of 
its  construction,  maintenance  or  operation."     (Page  168.) 

Is  the  Interborough  living  up  to  its  contract  as  quoted 
above? 

Diagrams  II,  III  and  IV  illustrate  the  condition  of  cowding 
as  it  exists  to-day  in  express  trains.  In  these  diagrams  each  col- 
umn represents  one  train ;  the  distance  between  the  columns,  the 


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headway  between  the  trains;  the  width  of  the  columns,  the  ap- 
proximate stop  at  the  station ;  the  black  portions  represent  ])er- 
sons  standing  in  excess  of  the  total  seating  capacity  of  the  trains. 
In  Diagram  11,  which  shows  the  conditions  of  tlie  evening  rush 
hour  trains  on  the  express  track,  it  will  be  noted  that  between  5 
and  5.30  p.  m.  but  eleven  trains  were  run,  carrxinc;  an  excess  of 
3,211  passengers  over  the  seating  capacity.  In  tlie  period  from  6 
to  6.30  p.  m.  also,  but  eleven  trains  were  run  and  the  standing 
passengers  reached  the  large  aggregate  of  6654,  while  but  4-57^ 
had  seats.  In  the  morning  hours,  as  shown  by  Diagram  III,  be- 
tween the  hours  of  8.30  and  9  a.  m.  the  standing  passengers  were 
5,669,  while  but  5,824  were  seated. 

The  subway  cars  are  more  seriously  overcrowded  than  any 
others  in  New  York  City.  Even  Brooklyn  Bridge,  with  its  fright- 
ful crush,  furnishes  53  per  cent,  of  its  passengers  with  seats  be- 
tween 5.30  and  6.30  p.  m.,  while  the  subway  express  trains  during 
this  hour  seat  but  41  per  cent,  of  their  passengers,  according 
to  the  observations  on  the  days  indicated.  This  great  disparity  is 
due,  no  doubt,  to  the  fact  that  the  trains  on  Brooklyn  Bridge  are 
run  on  one  minute  headway,  or  60  trains  per  hour,  while  during 
the  worst  rush  hours  the  subway  had  but  22  trains  an  hour.  Even 
the  larger  trains  in  the  subwa\'  furnish  but  176  cars  an  hour, 
while  300  per  hour  leave  Brooklyn  Bridge  terminal.  The  com- 
pany has  28  trains  per  hour  scheduled,  but  seems  unable  to  run 
them.  It  is  quite  possible  that  it  cannot  run  manv  more  trains 
until  shorter  stops  can  be  secured  b}'  the  introduction  of  a  differ- 
ent type  of  car. 

The  capacity  of  the  tracks  cannot  be  the  excuse  on  the  part 
of  the  Compan}'  for  not  furnishing  seats  on  Sunday.  By  refer- 
ring to  Diagram  IV  it  will  be  noted  that  between  the  hours  of  10 
and  II  a.  m.  but  13  trains  were  run,  and  all  but  three  of  these 
trains  carried  more  passengers  than  could  be  seated.  Between 
the  hours  of  2  and  3  p.  m.  19  trains  were  run,  but  even  with  the 
increased  number  of  trains  and  an  additional  car  on  each  train 
only  three  of  the  trains  furnished  sufficient  seats.  What  possible 
excuse  can  the  compau}-  offer  for  such  a  condition? 

Even  the  local  trains  that  are  not  supposed  to  be  in  great  de- 
mand are  badly  overcrowded,  as  will  be  seen  by  referring  to  Dia- 
gram IV.     But  26  trains  were  run  in  one  hour  where  at  least  30 


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should  have  been  run.  If  more  trains  cannot  be  run  then  the 
platforms  of  the  local  stations  might  well  be  lengthened  so  as  to 
accommodate  eight  car  trains,  their  present  limit  being  five  cars. 

Are  as  many  trains  as  possible  being  operated? 

Observations — 

Before  the  subway  was  opened  the  Interborough  Company 
announced  that  they  expected  in  time  to  run  express  trains  every 
two  minutes,  or  30  an  hour,  and  local  trains  every  minute,  or  60 
an  hour.  The  existing  schedule  appears  to  provide  in  the  hours  of 
heaviest  travel  28^  express  trains  an  hour  and  27  locals  an  hour. 
Th.e  number  of  trains  actually  running,  however,  has  been  found 
at  times  much  less  than  the  schedule,  as  low  one  day  as  19  ex- 
press trains  and  22  locals  in  an  hour,  while  on  April  9,  1907,  only 
8  express  trains  were  run  in  half  an  hour.  The  largest  number 
actually  observed  was  ly  expresses  an  hour.  The  usual  cause 
of  delay  does  not  appear  to  be  the  signal  system,  which  on  the 
express  tracks  would  allow  trains  to  follow  each  other  at  full 
speed  a  minute  and  a  half  apart,  or  less,  or  40  trains  an  hour,  pro- 
vided the  station  stops  were  reasonably  short.  To  run  at  full 
speed  express  trains  appear  to  need  to  keep  about  four  signals 
apart,  and  at  the  slack  hours  trains  have  been  observed  to  pass 
through  the  four  blocks  at  successive  stations  in  even  less  than 
a  minute  and  a  half.  The  local  tracks  have  fewer  signals  than  the 
express  tracks,  but  the  headway  is  about  as  limited,  owing  to  ex- 
cessive station  stops,  so  that  the  number  of  local  trains  is  less  than 
half  that  originally  intended.  The  limiting  feature  is  the  long 
stop  at  stations,  especially  at  the  Grand  Central,  due  to  the 
length  of  time  required  to  get  passengers  on  and  off  trains 
with  the  present  type  of  car.  It  does  not  appear  possible  to 
run  many  more  trains  at  rush  hours  than  at  present  unless 
something  is  done  to  make  the  station  stops  shorter. 

Altering  the  present  cars  or  providing  new  car  bodies  for  use 
with  the  present  trucks  and  electrical  equipment,  which  will  allow 
quicker  loading  and  unloading,  would  allow  more  trains  to  be  run. 
A  change  in  car  seats  and  starting  signals  would  help  somewhat 
and  should  be  tried  at  once,  but  for  final  and  satisfactory  relief 
more  radical  changes  seem  unavoidable. 


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15 

Is  not  the  quickest  and  cheapest  method  of  relieving  over- 
crowding the  adoption  of  A  TYPE  OF  CAR  THAT 
WOULD  PERMIT  OF  QUICKER  LOADING  AND 
UNLOADING? 

Or.SEKVATIONS 

The  following  provision  is  contained  in  Contract  No.  i, 
page  158,  relative  to  the  type  of  cars  required  to  be  operated  in 
the  present  subway.  "  The  cars  shall  be  so  constructed  as  to 
facilitate  to  the  utmost  a  quick  discharge  and  loading  of  pas- 
sengers." Do  the  cars  now  in  use  meet  the  recpiirement  of 
this  contract  in  the  above  particular? 

The  Illinois  Central  Railroad,  with  the  heaviest  suburban 
traffic  in  this  country,  operates  cars  of  100  seats,  with  12  doors 
on  each  side.  The  seats  face  one  another  in  pairs  and  a  door  is 
placed  between  each  pair  of  seats.  The  maximum  stopping 
time  of  a  train  composed  of  these  cars  is  conditioned  only  by 
the  time  that  it  requires  eight  people  to  pass  out  and  eight  to 
enter,  eight  being  the  number  served  by  one  door.  In  practical 
operation  these  trains  stop  on  an  average  but  7.07  seconds. 
Owing  to  the  fact  that  the  guard  who  closes  all  the  doors  of 
a  car  stands  at  one  side  of  the  car,  so  that  he  can  look  along 
the  whole  length  of  both  the  outside  and  inside  of  the  car, 
very  few  accidents  occur.  Mr.  W.  D.  Dunning,  an  official 
of  the  road,  made  the  following  statement  in  a  letter  written 
to  the  Secretary  of  the  City  Club : 

"The  side-door  cars  have  been  in  daily  use  since  1903,  and  dur- 
ing the  three  years  of  their  service  under  my  direct  charge  and  as 
a  result  of  my  intimate  experience  v/ith  these  cars,  I  can  unhesi- 
tatingly say  they  are  a  success  in  every  phase  of  the  service  in 
which  they  are  used,  and  T  believe  they  fully  meet  every  require- 
ment of  a  dense  passenger  traffic  under  conditions  where  quickness 
of  operation  is  an  essential  requisite.  The  cars  each  seat  100  pas- 
sengers, and  have  standing  room  for  a  large  number  in  addition, 
without  interfering  with  rapid  entrance  and  exit.  No  diffi- 
culties have  been  found  in  their  operation,  the  perfect  control 
of  the  side  doors  by  the  trainmen  preventing  passengers  from 
getting  on  or  ofif  the  cars  while  in  motion.  The  doors  work 
freely,  with  but  Httle  effort,  and  no  trouble  has  been  experi- 


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enced  in  keeping  the  cars  warm  during  the  coldest  weather. 
The  time  saved  in  their  use  over  the  end-door  type  is  most 
noticeable  during  the  hours  of  heavy  travel,  and  has  resulted 
in  the  average  stop  being  reduced  from  30  seconds  to  7 
seconds.  All  of  the  side-door  cars  are  framed  throughout  of 
steel  and  were  built  new  at  the  company^s  shops.  None  of 
the  old  cars  were  reconstructed.  No  platform  men  are  re- 
quired with  the  side-door  cars,  the  doors  being  operated  from 
within  the  cars  by  the  regular  trainmen.  As  to  the  accidents 
to  passengers  with  the  side-door  cars,  I  have  consulted  with 
our  Claim  Department  officials,  and  the  conclusion  is  reached 
that  the  use  of  the  side  doors  has  reduced  the  number  of  acci- 
dents about  90  per  cent.  In  fact,  with  the  exception  of  an 
occasional  slight  mishap,  the  element  of  personal  injury  has 
been  well  nigh  eliminated." 

The  Illinois  Central  cars  were  in  use  the  year  before  the 
subway  was  opened,  but  they  were  not  thought  feasible  in  the 
subway  because,  for  one  reason,  of  the  presence  of  curved 
station  platforms.  This  difficulty,  however,  could  have  been 
obviated  by  projecting  the  car  body  over  the  platform,  as  is 
done  on  a  number  of  European  subway  and  rapid  transit  roads, 
which  practice  would  probably  leave  less  of  a  gap  between  car 
and  a  curved  platform  even  on  the  worst  curves  than  is  found 
to-day  at  some  of  the  stations.     (See  Diagram  VI.) 

It  is  obvious  that  the  continued  use  of  the  wooden  cars  is  at- 
tended with  grave  risks  in  case  of  derailment,  collision  or  fire. 
They  already  show  signs  of  deterioration.  Even  the  steel  cars  as 
at  present  constructed  have  not  proved  strong  enough  to  with- 
stand severe  collisions.  New  side-door  car  bodies  might  be  sub- 
stituted on  the  present  trucks  with  the  existing  motor  equipment. 
One  result  would  be  a  large  increase  in  the  number  of  seats  possi- 
ble in  a  car.  In  order  to  provide  a  large  amount  of  standing 
room  in  the  present  cars,  only  52  seats  were  provided.  New 
cars  could  have  90,  100  or  even,  possibly,  120  seats  each,  with 
from  9  to  II  doors  each  side.  (See  Diagram  V.)  The  most 
feasible  number  of  seats  in  a  car  should  be  determined  by  ex- 
periment. 

Trains  of  side-door  cars  ought  to  be  tried  at  once  in  the  sub- 
way,  having  different  numbers  of  seats  in  the  different  trains. 


i8 

with  a  lest  of  various  other  improvemients,  in  the  way  of  better 
lighting,  ventilation,  signs,  starting,  signals,  etc.  The  suggestion 
that  such  experimental  trains  would  delay  other  trains  is  not  se- 
rious, in  view  of  the  remarkably  short  stops  of  the  Illinois  Central 
side-door  cars. 

Not  only  would  more  seats  be  possible  in  each  car  of  side- 
door  trains,  but  more  trains  could  be  run.  As  the  signals  on 
the  subway  express  tracks  are  adapted  to  a  minute  and  a 
half  headway,  probably  40  express  trains  could  be  run  even  in 
rush  hours.  As  60  locals  an  hour  were  planned  for  by  the 
Interborough  Company  at  the  outset,  48  would  not  seem  an 
excessive  number  possible  with  new  cars,  and  they  could  be 
handled  even  with  a  complete  block  signal  system.  The  total 
number  of  seats  furnished  in  one  rush  hour  one  way  under 
the  present  schedule,  including  both  express  and  local  trains, 
appears  to  be  18,876  seats.  But  the  actual  number  furnished 
has  run  as  low  as  13,624  seats  an  hour  when  the  traffic  has 
been  very  heavy.  The  more  passengers  there  are  to  handle 
the  fewer  the  seats  that  can  be  provided,  because  of  the  in- 
creased delays  at  stations.  If  side-door  cars  were  used,  with 
100  seats  each,  the  number  of  seats  furnished  one  way  in  one 
rush  hour,  with  the  present  length  of  trains,  would  be  56,000,  a 
capacity  beyond  the  present  needs  of  traffic. 

From  a  count  made  at  the  Grand  Central  subway  station, 
Tuesday,  April  9,  1907,  it  appears  that  between  5  and  6  p.  m. 
only  21,134  passengers  were  carried  north  in  all  trains.  Of 
these  only  about  14,300  were  seated.  It  appears  then  that  the 
subway  is  being  utilized  only  to  about  a  third  of  its  possible 
seating  capacity.  If  station  platforms  were  lengthened  to 
allow  ten-car  express  and  ten-car  locals,  the  capacity  with  side- 
door  cars  would  be  increased  to  88,000  seats  an  hour. 

The  possibilities  of  side-door  cars  suggest  that  their  in- 
stallation would  be  the  quickest  and  cheapest  way  to  gain 
greatly  increased  facilities.  It  would  provide  for  the  increase 
in  traffic  until  additional  subways  could  be  built. 

The  side-door  car  has,  in  addition,  financial  advantages.  A 
large  saving  might  he  made  by  utilizing  tlie  shorter  stops  to  in- 
crease the  schc(hil<?  speed,  there!)}-  reducing  tlie  number  of  cars 
and  men  neecknl. 


19 

Or.  with  shorter  station  stops  and  the  same  average  speed  as 
now,  the  power  consumption  might  be  reduced  with  new  cars 
perhaps  sufficiently  to  save  each  year  enough  money  to  equal 
the  fixed  charges  on  new  side-door  car  bodies. 


Should  not  destination  signs  in  the  subway  be  more  conspic- 
uous? 

O  0  SERV ATIO  N  S 

The  destinations  of  trains  are  now  indicated  by  colored 
marker  lights  in  front  and  a  few  small  signs  in  some  of  the 
car  windows.  The  insufficiency  of  these  is  shown  by  the 
number  of  questions  that  are  asked  of  the  guards,  resulting  in  de- 
lays to  the  trains. 

Three  rapid  transit  roads  in  Europe  have  large  destination 
signs  on  the  front  and  rear  of  every  train,  with  large,  con- 
spicuous letters  ;  in  two  cases  these  are  brightly  illuminated. 
Illuminated  route  numbers  are  also  found  in  Europe,  and  are 
a  great  convenience.  In  Berlin  one  can  find  on  the  front  of 
cars  the  route  color,  route  number  and  name  of  destination, 
all  illuminated.  The  subway  trains  in  New  York  should  be  as 
well  marked. 

There  should  be  conspicuous  destination  signs  on  the  outside 
of  every  train,  so  located  as  to  be  clearly  visible  to  all  passengers 
standing  on  the  station  platforms.  Signs  also  should  be  on  the 
inside  of  every  car,  so  located  as  to  be  in  view  of  all  the  passen- 
gers. The  names  of  stations  should  be  more  conspicuous  on  the 
iron  columns  or  station  walls.  The  calling  out  of  station  names 
by  the  guards  is  not  distinct  or  loud  enough.  A  test  might  well 
be  made  of  the  loud  speaking  telephone  system  for  announcing 
stations  in  trains. 

Indicators  showing  the  destination  of  approaching  trains  are 
found  at  all  the  stations  in  Boston,  Berlin  and  the  Mersey  Tunnel 
in  Liverpool,  the  Metropolitan  District  Railway  in  London,  and 
should  be  considered  for  New  York  stations.  In  the  Grand  Cen- 
tral subway  station  there  are  no  signs  on  the  platforms  pointing 
out  the  nearest  way  to  the  railroad  station,  and  as  a  result  strang- 
ers loaded  with  baggage  daily  leave  the  subway  by  the  exit  far- 
thest from  the  railroad  depot. 


> 


21 

Are  the  cars  adequately  lighted? 

Observations — 

The  present  lighting  of  the  subway  cars  is  deficient  in 
three  respects.  The  lights  are  all  bare.  The  light  furnished 
is  sometimes  too  dim.  There  are  no  emergency  lights  in  the 
cars. 

The  large  amount  of  newspaper  reading  in  the  subway 
demands  good  lighting  to  prevent  eye  strain.  The  light  should  be 
more  diffused  and  softened  by  the  use  of  frosted  globes,  holophane 
globes  or  reflectors,  cutting  off  all  direct  rays  from  the  eyes,  as 
used  in  electric  Hghting  elsewhere.  High  economy  lamps  would 
tend  to  make  up  for  the  low  voltage.  The  absence  of  emergency 
lights  is  a  source  of  danger,  and  they  should  be  supplied  in  every 
car.  The  new  cars  in  the  Hudson  Companies'  tunnels  will  each 
have  such  emergency  Hghts  burning'  all  the  time.  They  are  to  be 
supplied  by  storage  batteries,  kept  charged  automatically. 


3.  THE  ELEVATED  ROADS. 

To  what  extent  are  the  elevated  trains  overcrowded  during 
rush  hours?     Can  more  trains  be  run? 

Observations — 

The  elevated  roads  are  crowding  their  trains  nearly  as 
badly  as  the  subway.  Much  has  been  said  of  the  crowding 
on  Second  and  Third  avenues.  Diagram  VH  shows  the  condi- 
tion of  Second  avenue  on  the  day  indicated.  Every  Bronx 
train  between  5.30  and  6.30  p.  m.  was  badly  overcrowded. 
There  were,  however,  but  14  of  these  Second  avenue  trains 
that  passed  beyond  the  Harlem  river.  On  the  same  day  and 
between  the  same  hours  35  locals  and  10  expresses  were  run 
north  on  the  Third  avenue.  These  were  all  badly  over- 
crowded. The  claim  has  been  made  that  as  many  trains  as  is 
possible  are  being  run  across  the  cross-over  at  the  south  end 
of  the  Harlem  River  Bridge.  On  this  day  but  42  passed  north 
and  but  6  Second  avenue  trains  passed  south  during  one  hour. 
This  makes  a  total  of  48  trains  using  the  cross-over  in  one 


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■23 

hour.  As  the  limit  of  such  a  junction  has  been  proven  by  ex- 
periment to  be  80  trains  per  hour,  it  is  difficult  for  the  ordinary 
observer  to  siee  why  more  trains  cannot  be  operated  across 
this  point.  If  more  cars  can  be  operated,  surely  the  company 
cannot  claim  that  either  Second  or  Third  avenue  is  being  oper- 
ated to  its  full  capacity. 

Not  only  can  more  trains  be  run,  but  by  extending  the  station 
platforms,  trains  of  eight  or  more  cars,  instead  of  seven  as  used 
on  Third  avenue  or  five  on  Second  avenue,  could  be  run,  thus 
largely  increasing  the  capacity  of  the  present  lines. 

Sixth  avenue  furnishes  another  illustration  of  overcrowd- 
ing-. By  referring  to  Diagram  VIII  it  will  be  observed  that  be- 
tween 5  and  6.30  p.  m.  34  Harlem  trains  were  run  and  every 
one  was  badly  packed.  Between  6  and  6.30  p.  m.  but  12  trains 
were  run,  furnishing  3,456  seats,  carrying  5,252  passengers.  It  is 
claimed  that  above  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  street,  where  the 
trains,  both  Ninth  and  Sixth  avenue,  run  on  one  track,  that  there 
is  room  for  no  more  trains.  We  find,  however,  a  maximum  of 
only  58  trains  in  one  hour  on  this  single  track,  where  previous  to 
the  operation  of  the  subway  a  maximum  of  81  trains  were 
operated,  according  to  the  company's  own  statement  to  Mayor 
Low. 

On  the  Fulton  Street  line  in  Brooklyn,  June  20,  1907,  but  2^6 
trains  ran  east  from  5.30  to  6.30  p.  m.  The  average  number 
standing  in  each  car  was  over  30.  There  is  urgent  need  of 
more  trains.  It  evidently  is  possible  to  run  more,  judging 
by  the  58  trains  that  are  being  run  on  the  Ninth  Avenue 
Elevated  above  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  street,  or  the  42 
trains  run  on  the  Third  Avenue  above  the  Harlem  river.  The 
other  lines  leaving  Brooklyn  Bridge  carry  jointly  but  about 
40  trains.  There  is  more  excuse  for  this,  however,  owing  to 
the  fact  that  they  must  all  pass  out  over  one  line,  and  a  very 
crooked  one  at  that. 

Every  elevated  line  in  the  city  is  distressingly  overcrowded, 
and  every  line  could  accommodate  more  trains,  and  longer 
trains. 


24 

Are  inclosed  vestibules  advisable? 

The  elevated  cars  all  have  open  platforms,  while  subway 
cars,  running  under  cover  most  of  the  time,  have  their  ends 
completely  inclosed.  Open  platforms  might  not  be  so  serious 
were  it  not  for  the  fact  that  the  overcrowding  of  trains  re- 
quires passengers  to  stand  on  the  platforms  in  all  kinds  of 
weather.  Fifteen  or  more  passengers  are  often  found  on  one 
platform. 

The  Boston  Elevated  Company,  in  the  last  few  years,  vol- 
untarily remodeled  all  its  old  cars,  so  as  to  do  away  with 
exposed  platforms,  inclosing  the  space  as  a  part  of  the  car 
body,  similar  to  the  New  York  subway  cars.  The  framework 
of  the  New  York  and  Brooklyn  elevated  cars  is  similar  to  that 
of  the  Boston  cars,  so  that  tliey  could  be  transformed  in  like 
manner. 

There  is  only  one  apparent  reason  for  not  making  such  a 
change  on  all  cars,  and  that  is  the  possibility  of  adopting  side- 
door  cars  on  the  elevated  lines  as  well  as  in  the  subway. 
Elevated  clearances  would  permit  of  a  lOO-seat  car.  or  possibly 
of  a  i20-seat  car,  if  the  latter  were  needed.  If  cross  seats  were 
placed  in  all  the  present  cars,  however,  and  longer  trains  and 
more  frequent  ones  run,  perhaps  all  the  passengers  could  be 
seated.  But  if  itjvestigation  should  show  that  all  passengers 
cannot  be  furnished  seats  in  the  rush  hours  by  placing  cross  seats 
in  the  present  cars,  it  would  seem  well  to  try  at  once  trains  of 
side-door  cars  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn,  as  suggested  for  the 
subway. 


Are  the  cars  kept  in  a  sanitary  condition? 

Observations — ■ 

Section  173  of  the  Sanitary  Code  requires  each  car  to  be 
"  carefully  and  thoroughly  cleaned  "  every  day  it  is  used.  The 
accumulation  of  dirt,  chiefly  observable  on  Second  and  Third 
avenue  lines,  is  evidence  that  cleaning  is  not  done  every  day. 

What  is  a  reasonable  sanitary  requirement?  On  the  Central 
London  Railwa-\-  ail  car  floors  are  swept  and  sprinkled  at  the  end 


25 

of  every  rush  liour  trip.  Smooth  floors  are  being  adopted  on 
many  new  cars  in  this  country. 

As  to  the  sanitary  aspects  of  travei  in  the  city,  a  most  impor- 
tant investigation  of  the  condition  of  the  subway  was  begim  by 
the  Board  of  Rapid  Transit  Railroad  Commissioners.  This  in- 
vestigation should  be  continued  and  extended  to  all  the  surface 
and  elevated  lines  in  the  first  district.  We  would  strongly 
urge  that  the  Commission  should  have  a  permanent  sanitary 
expert  to  advise  constantly  on  matters  that  concern  health. 
One  important  matter  that  concerns  all  lines  is  the  sanitary 
aspect  of  the  over-crowding  of  cars,  especially  in  view  of  the 
serious  increase  of  respiratory  diseases  in  the  city. 

The  danger  of  disseminating  contagious  diseases  through 
closely  packing  people  in  cars  is  admitted,  and  should  receive 
the  most  careful  consideration  of  the  Commission. 


4.  SURFACE  ROADS. 

To  what  extent  are  the  cars  overcrowded?     Can  more  cars  be 
run? 

Observation  s — 

It  is  hardly  necessary  to  call  attention  to  the  fact  that  surface 
cars  are  overcrowded  in  all  the  boroughs,  and  frequently  dan- 
gerously so.  Even  on  lines  in  the  Bronx  and  Richmond,  where 
there  is  abundant  room  for  more  cars,  one  can  find  the  accommo- 
dation so  insufficient  that  at  times  it  is  almost  impossible  to  get 
on  cars  at  intermediate  points.  In  Manhattan  a  number  of  careful 
counts  were  made  during  the  rush  hours  of  the  traffic  on  different 
lines  to  determine  the  extent  of  the  overcrowding,  and  the  results 
for  two  lines  are  shown  in  Diagrams  IX  and  X.  Diagram  IX 
gives  the  numbers  of  cars,  passengers  and  seats  northbound  on 
Madison  avenue,  grouped  in  five-minute  and  half-hour  periods.  It 
will  be  noted  that  from  5  to  7  p.  m.  there  were  only  three  five- 
minute  periods  in  which  there  were  more  seats  than  passengers. 
Six  cars  had  over  100  passengers  each ;  one  had  120.  The  irreg- 
ularity of  the  running  of  the  cars  is  very  marked,  the  number 
passing  in  five  minutes  varying  from  3  to  12.   This  is  a  matter  that 


X 


27 

evidently  needs  serious  attention,  and  something  should  be  done 
wherever  such  irregularity  occurs  to  remove  the  causes,  whether 
by  better  traffic  regulation  or  better  car  regulation. 

As  to  the  accommodation  furnished  on  Madison  avenue,  the 
number  of  cars  is  evidently  conditioned  by  the  fact  that  they  have 
to  run  on  Forty-second  street  on  the  same  tracks  as  crosstown  cars. 
Between  6  and  7  p.  m.  82  cars  vv^ere  run  north  on  Madison  ave- 
nue. On  a  similar  branching  line  in  Boston  134  cars  are  run  per 
hour  each  way,  with  a  maximum  of  220  an  hour  on  a  street  cor- 
responding with  Forty-second  street. 

Moreover,  it  appears  from  a  count  made  by  the  company  that 
on  Madison  avenue  on  December  29,  1902,  about  126  cars  were 
run  north  from  6  to  7  p.  m.,  or  53  per  cent,  more  than  on  June 
17,  1907.  It  is  true  that  the  traffic  was  heavier  in  1902,  about 
7,540  persons  being  carried,  against  5,927  in  1907.  But  until 
there  are  enough  seats  for  all  passengers  the  public  certainly  has 
a  right  to  expect  and  require  that  a  company  shall  run  as  many 
cars  as  it  can  and  has  in  the  past.  A  similar  reduction  in  service 
has  occurred  on  Lexington  avenue,  where  from  6  to  7  p.  m.  there 
were  52  cars  run  north  on  June  17,  1907,  against  about  no  on  De- 
cember 29,  1902.  The  total  car  mileage  in  Manhattan  is  less  now 
than  it  was  six  years  ago,  especially  on  the  Third  avenue  system, 
where  the  mileage  was  cut  down  over  one-half  in  eight  years. 

Diagram  X  illustrates  the  overcrowding  on  Twenty-third 
street  in  the  afternoon  rush  hours.  In  some  five-minute  periods 
less  than  half  the  passengers  were  supplied  with  seats  ;  in  one 
period  only  40  per  cent.  The  irregularity  of  the  cars  is  very 
marked,  14  being  run  in  one  period  and  only  two  in  another. 
Fourteen  cars  in  five  minutes  is  at  the  rate  of  168  cars  an  hour, 
whereas  only  95  cars  were  actually  nm. 

As  to  the  limiting  effect  of  junctions  on  the  number  of  surface 
cars  run,  it  is  noticeable  at  all  such  points  that  the  tracks  are  not 
being  fully  utilized.  At  Broadway,  Thirty-fourth  street  and  Sixth 
avenue,  where  three  lines  cross,  a  recent  rush  hour  count  showed 
cars  passing  at  the  rate  of  478  an  hour  in  all  directions.  Four 
years  ago  as  many  as  525  cars  were  found  passing  at  this  point. 
To-day  cars  are  run  as  many  as  11  in  one  minute,  which  is  at  the 
rate  of  66c  an  hour,  and  shows  what  can  be  done  if  enough  cars 
are  furnished.     The  company  once  stated  that   1,070  cars  were 


X! 


29 

scheduled  per  hour  for  this  crossing.  In  a  later  statement  they 
said  that  975  cars  had  been  operated  and  that  731  per  hour  was 
a  reasonable  number,  so  that  the  478  found  to-day  is  far  below  t'le 
company's  own  standards. 

Is  the  transfer  system  satisfactory? 

Observations — 

There  is  comparatively  little  ground  for  complaint  as  to  trans- 
fers between  surface  lines  in  Manhattan,  though  there  are  yet 
several  points  where  they  are  not  given,  especially  between  the 
Forty-second  and  One  Hundred  and  Sixteenth  street  lines  and 
some  of  the  avenue  lines.  There  seems  to  be  no  excuse  for  these 
exceptions.  In  the  Bronx  the  privilege  is  not  universally  extended 
between  the  New  York  City  Interborough  Railway  Company 
and  the  Union  Railway  Company,  though  the  Interborough  Rapid 
Transit  Company  owns  one  company  and  a  controlling  interest  in 
the  other.  Surface  lines  give  transfers  to  the  elevated  road  for 
three  cents  extra.  Why  should  this  extra  fare  be  charged,  since 
these  lines  are  all  operated  by  one  company?  At  one  point,  viz.. 
One  Hundred  and  Forty-ninth  street  and  Third  avenue,  transfers 
are  given  between  the  subway  and  the  elevated  road.  They  are 
not  given,  however,  at  Sixty-sixth  street  and  Broadway,  and  their 
use  at  that  point  would  be  a  great  convenience  to  many  passengers. 

In  our  judgment  it  would  be  for  the  financial  interest  of 
the  Interborough  Company,  as  well  as  a  great  convenience  to 
the  public,  if  transfers  were  given  between  all  of  their  lines — 
surface,  elevated  and  subway. 

This  universal  transfer  plan  has  been  in  practice  in  Boston 
for  six  years  with  great  success,  the  company  giving  free  trans- 
fers between  trains  and  surface  cars  at  every  station,  finding  it  to 
their  advantage  to  encourage  such  transferring  as  much  as  pos- 
sible, owing  to  the  fact  that  they  can  carry  a  passenger  more 
cheaply  on  a  train  than  on  a  surface  car. 

Should  not  all  surface  cars  have  inclosed  vestibules? 

Observations — • 

For  years  efforts  have  been  made  to  compel  the  companies  to 
inclose  the  platforms  on  the  surface  cars.     In  Manhattan,  so  far. 


30 

tliey  have  complied  with  this  pubhc  demand  in  but  a  few  in- 
stances. A  large  proportion  of  the  Bronx  cars  and  nearly  all  of 
those  in  Brooklyn  are  now  thus  equipped.  The  company  in  Man- 
hattan has  declared  its  intention  to  make  this  change,  but  up  to 
the  present  little  has  been  accomplished.  Why  should  New  York 
City  alone  of  all  northern  cities  fail  to  protect  the  motormen  on 
surface  cars? 

Cannot  the  number  of  accidents  be  reduced? 

Observations — ■ 

One  of  the  most  serious  aspects  of  transit  at  present  is  the 
number  and  cost  of  accidents.  According-  to  the  State  Railroad 
Commissioners'  report  for  1906,  on  the  surface,  elevated  and  sub- 
way lines  of  Greater  New  York  the  total  number  of  persons  killed 
in  the  year  was  321,  against  227  in  1905,  an  increase  of  41  per 
cent.  The  total  amount  of  damages  paid  out  amounted  to  about 
$2,301,125  in  1906.  Legal  expenses  in  connection  with  damages 
amounted  to  a  further  simi  of  $1,159,295,  making  the  total  cost 
of  accidents,  excluding  damag-'e  to  rolling  stock  and  propert}', 
$3,460,420,  against  $3,103,903  for  1905,  an  increase  of  ii>2  per 
cent.  In  proportion  to  the  traffic,  the  ntuuber  of  persons  killed 
by  the  Nev/  York  transit  lines  is  eight  times  as  great  as  in  Liver- 
pool and  the  cost  of  accidents  is  about  40  times  as  great  as  in 
Hamburg  in  proportion  to  the  car  mileage.  Even  without  such 
comparisons  the  figures  for  New  York  are  alarmingly  large  and 
the  precautions  clearly  inadequate.  A  study  of  the  causes  of  acci- 
dents shows  that  the  number  and  expense  ought  largely  to  be  re- 
duced by  the  introduction  of  better  brakes,  fenders,  car  mainte- 
nance, training  of  employees,  etc. 

Should  not  all  cars  have  power  brakes? 

OnSIiRN'ATIONS — • 

The  absence  of  power  brakes  on  so  many  of  the  surface  cars 
in  New  York  City  accounts  partly  for  the  appalling  frequency  cf 
collisions  with  people  and  vehicles.  The  air  l)rakes  on  the  Third 
avenue  cars  were    taken  oil  wlicn  the  road  was  absorbed  bv  the 


31 

Metropolitan  Company,  the  reason  assigned  being"  that  power 
brakes  were  dangerons  and  had  caused  serious  accidents.  It  has 
been  suggested  that  the  real  reason  for  the  removal  was  to  avoid 
the  extension  of  air  brakes  to  all  the  cars  \n  the  city.  The  voluntary- 
adoption  of  power  brakes  on  the  new  cars  of  the  Brooklyn  Rapid 
Transit  Company  is  in  marked  contrast  to  their  absence  on  cars  in 
Manhattan  and  The  i'.ronx.  The  excuse  for  many  accidents  is 
slippery  rails,  but  this  is  an  admission  of  defective  sanding  or  a 
failure  to  use  this  precaution.  In  England  great  emphasis  is  laid 
on  keeping  rails  clean  by  continual  scraping  and  washing,  espe- 
ciall}^  on  grades.  Hand  brakes  or  air  lirakes  may  fail  if  rails 
are  not  kept  clean  or  sand  applied  in  an  emergency.  There  is, 
however,  a  type  of  brake  available  which  is  equally  effective  on 
dry  or  slippery  rails.  It  is  the  latest  form  of  the  magnetic  brake 
as  now  used  on  thousands  of  cars  in  England  and  somewhat  less 
in  this  country.  At  ordinary  speeds  this  brake  has  been  found 
twice  as  effective  on  a  slippery  rail  as  an  air  brake  on  a  dry  rail, 
and  its  great  success  in  London  is  a  strong  argument  for  its  adop- 
tion in  New  York.  With  a  brake  that  can  stop  a  car  running 
eleven  miles  an  hour  in  thirteen  feet,  there  appears  to  he  little 
excuse  for  colliding  with  either  a  person  or  a  vehicle.  This  brake 
might  also  allow  cars  to  be  stopped  automatically  at  any  point, 
like  a  fire  stop  or  the  top  of  a  hill,  whether  the  motorman  remem- 
bers to  apply  the  brake  or  not.  It  greatly  reduces  the  danger  of 
runaway  cars.  The  question  of  power  brakes  should  be  thor- 
oughly investigated  from  the  standpoint  of  safety  for  pedestrians 
and  vehicles  on  our  densely  congested  streets  and  the  need  of 
running  cars  at  a  satisfactory  speed. 


Should  not  all  cars  have  safe  and  adequate  fenders? 

Observations — 

Many  of  the  surface  cars  of  the  New  York  City  Railway  Com- 
pany have  no  fender  of  any  kind.  (Jn  Broadway  and  Columbus 
avenue.  Seventh  avenue  and  Fifty-ninth  street,  and  on  the  Forty - 
second  street  cross-town  lines  cars  are  not  equipped  with  fenders. 
On  the  Fifty-ninth  street  cross-town  line  there  are  fenders,  but 
they  are  usually  folded  up  and  not  in  use.     Many  other  lines  have 


3^ 

and  use  fenders.  There  is  no  uniformity  in  fender  equipment  or 
its  use.  While  projecting-  fenders  are  usually  regarded  in  Europe 
as  of  more  danger  than  help,  because  by  extending  in  front  of  the 
car  they  trip  people  and  also  reduce  the  space  in  which  to  stop 
a  car;  some  protection  in  front  is  needed.  The  Berlin  plan  seems 
the  best  one — of  covering  the  dasher  with  a  flexible  wire  mesh 
which  ])rojects  sufficientl}'  to  cover  up  all  sharp  corners  that  would 
inflict  injury,  and  can  be  grasped  1)_\-  a  person  who  may  be  struci: 
by  the  car. 

Some  wheel  guard  at  least  as  good  as  the  type  used  in  Man- 
hattan should  be  required  on  all  the  surface  cars  of  the  Ave 
boroughs  of  New  York;  but  even  this  wheel  guard  allows  persons 
to  go  under  the  wheels.  There  is  one  well  known  type  of  wheel 
guard  which  has  never  failed  in  six  years  of  service,  and  that  is 
the  plow  type  in  use  in  Liverpool,  England.  It  is  now  being- 
experimented  with  in  Boston,  Mass.  It  is  an  unpatented  device, 
adopted  by  the  city,  to  put  an  end  to  fatalities  under 
the  cars,  and  has  attracted  wide  attention  because,  while  388 
persons  have  fallen  before  the  wheels,  this  wheel  guard  has 
pushed  them  aside  without  seriously  injuring  them.  Should  not 
tliis  wheel  guard  be  required  throughout  the  city,  so  as  to  put  a 
stop  to  the  killing  of  so  many  persons?  Companies  have  made 
the  excuse  that  the  rough  nature  of  the  pavement  will  not  permit 
of  such,  a  wheel  guard.  This  excuse  is  not  tenable  in  view  of  the 
fact  that  other  parts  of  their  cars  are  closer  to  the  ground. 
Should  they  be  allowed  to  neglect  such  practical  and  feasible 
safeguards,  even  though  they  do  not  maintain  their  pavements  as 
required  by  law?  But  the  best  way  to  avoid  injuring  people 
is  to  run  at  safe  speeds,  to  use  power  brakes,  to  keep  brakes 
and  other  mechanism  in  order,  and  to  train  motormen  to  be 
careful. 


How  can  more  seats  be  furnished  on  surface  cars? 

Observations — 

It  appears  that  the  difficulty  of  furnishing  sufHcienl  seats  on 
the  surface  cars  can  be  quickly  and  completely  solved  in  New- 
York  City  by  adopting  the  practice  successfully  tried  elsewhere  of 


33 

running  car^  in  pair^  in  the  rush  hours,  as  in  Washington,  Bos- 
ton and  Columbus,  and  in  Paris,  Berlin,  Vienna  and  other  Euro- 
pean cities.  While  the  running  of  cars  in  trains  has  not  been  sat- 
isfactory in  Chicago,  the  trouble  there  has  been  faulty  operation. 
In  Berlin  and  \'ienna,  three-car  trains  even  are  run  at  the  rush 
hours,  furnishing:  as  many  as  loo  seats  to  a  unit,  with  complete 
safet}'.  and-  without  interference  with  other  traffic.  Of  course 
power  brakes  are  needed  for  such  operation.  With  the  Liverpool 
wheel  guard  surrounding  every  truck,  fatalities  are  impossible 
under  the  second  car,  though  on  the  Continent  no  special  precau- 
tions have  been  found  necessary. 

If  the  Brooklyn  surface  cars  were  run  in  pairs  over  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge,  keeping  the  same  space  as  now  between  the  rear 
of  one  unit  and  the  front  of  the  next,  over  22,000  seats  could  be 
furnished  in  one  rush  hour  for  the  17,000  or  i8,ooo  passengers 
that  are  now  packed  in  single  cars.  Cars  run  in  pairs  would  have 
time  enough  to  unload  and  load  on  the  terminal  loops  in  one  stop 
instead  of  the  two  stops  now  needed.  There  is  sufficient  room  if 
Jong  and  short  cars  are  combined  on  the  present  loops  for  this 
method  of  operation,  and  the  railings  could  be  so  adjusted  as  to 
insure  safety  to  the  people.  The  New  York  City  Railway  Com- 
pany has  been  running"  two  pairs  of  air-braked  cars  on  the 
Twenty-third  Street  Crosstown  line.  The  cars  on  all  surface  lines 
are  so  infrequent  to-day  as  to  allow  a  large  increase  in  the  number 
of  cars,  if  not  double  the  number,  if  they  were  run  in  pairs. 

In  all  the  places  mentioned  with  the  exception  of  Columbus, 
Ohio,  and  the  two  pairs  on  Twenty-third  street,  the  additional  cars 
are  trailers.  The  latter  are  much  more  economical  to  provide  and 
run  than  two  motor-cars  coupled  together,  but  are  not  so  easily 
reversed.  Still,  even  in  Manhattan,  trailers  seem  feasible,  if 
made  light  enough,  and  if  reversed  on  the  side  streets,  where 
loops  are  not  feasible.  Heavy  disabled  cars  are  constantly  pushed 
itp  the  steep  grades  in  Manhattan,  and  even  four  cars  have  been 
coupled  together.  Light  cars  are  suitable  for  trailers.  Tlie 
latest  type  in  Berlin,  has  room  for  32  cross  seats,  and  weighs  less 
than  5  tons,  while  the  smallest  size  New^  York  motor  car,  with 
36  seats,  weighs  over  16^  tons. 

On  the  Continent,  as  in  Berlin,  no  cars  are  thrown  away,  but 
all  are  saved  to   furnish  sufficient  seats   as  trailers  in  the  rush 


34 

hours,  being  kept  clean,  painted,  and  in  perfect  repiiir  ;  and  they 
make  far  easier  and  quieter  ricHng-  cars  than  the  heavv  modern 
electrics. 

Double  deck  cars  are  nnich  more  economical  to  operate  than 
cars  run  singly  or  in  pairs  with  the  same  seating  capacity,  as  even 
TOO  seats  can  lie  carried  on  a  single  truck.  As  operated  in  Eng- 
land to-day  witli  inclosed  roofs,  double  <leckers  \vi mid  be  very 
well  adapted  to  the  American  climate,  'idieir  stops  can  be  as 
short  as  single  deck  cars.  They  can  make  better  time  on  slippery 
tracks,  and  are  stopped  more  {|uickl\-  if  electricallv  braked,  as  in 
London.  Their  larg-e  seating  capacity  has  made  lower  fares  profit- 
able in  Europe,  and  they  can  be  run  as  fast  as  is  safe  for  anv  cars 
in  city  service.  Idiey  liave  often  been  nrged  for  Xew  York  City, 
and  a  trial  of  them  might  be  worth  while  on  such  routes  as  Broad- 
way or  the  crow^ded  crosstown  lines,  though  some  elevated  railway 
girders  would  need  to  be  replaced  in  order  to  albnv  the  use  of  a 
higher  car.  b"or.  while  double  deck  cars  have  been  designed  low 
enough  to  pass  under  most  overhead  obstructions  in  New  York, 
a  head  room  is  desirable  which  allows  a  cross  seat  car.  A  great 
advantage  of  the  type  is  the  small  amount  of  street  space  occupied 
by  cars  furnishing  a  large  seating  capacity,  as  a  double  deck  car 
seats  about  three  times  as  many  as  a  closed  car  of  the  same  length 
and  twice  as  many  as  an  open  car.  Where  streets  are  crowded 
or  junctions  are  congested,  double  deck  cars  might  afford  much 
relief  to  traffic  by  alb^wing  a  large  reduction  in  the  number  of 
cars  run,  without  reducing  the  supply  of  seats.  The  present 
Manhattan  closed  cars  could  be  remodeled  so  as  to  seat  lOO  pas- 
sengers, while  new  cars  of  a  narrow^  type  could  seat  io8. 

In  view  of  these  methods  for  largely  increasing  the  seatmg 
capacity  of  surface  lines,  it  seems  time  to  require  the  traction  com- 
]:)anies  of  New  York  to  stop  the  overcrowding  of  their  cars  and  to 
furnish  at  the  earliest  pcjssible  date  sufficient  seats  at  all  hours  for 
all  ordinary  traffic.  Many  practical  railwav  men  do  not  believe 
that  congestion  pays  or  is  necessary.  Overcrowding  of  cars  tends 
to  reduce  traffic,  to  increase  accidents,  to  cause  loss  of  fares,  loss 
of  time,  and  other  disadvantages  to  a  company.  That  it  does  not 
pay  tr)  furnish,  seats  is  a  tradition  tliat  is  fast  disappearing  amon^ 
railway  men.  That  enough  seats  cannot  be  furnished  in  the 
rush  hours  is  another  tradition  which  no  longer  has  any  basis. 


35 

In  Europe,  companies  have  been  compelled  to  give  sufficient 
seats  and  have  found  ways  to  do  it.  In  this  country  some 
companies  have  realized  the  mistakes  of  the  past  and  are  volun- 
tarilv  providing"  sufficient  accommodations.  It  is  tinie  to  take  a 
firm  stand  on  this  matter  in  New  York,  and  to  accept  no  excuses. 

Should  not  all  cars  have  cross  seats? 

Observation. s — 

The  standard  seat  in  the  Manhattan  closed  cars  is  still  the 
longitudinal  seat,  which  is  also  too  frecjuent  in  other  cars, 
being  often  ver\-  uncomfortable,  with  the  high  rates  of  accel- 
eration and  braking  common  in  the  city.  As  cross  seats  are 
feasible  now.  even  in  narrow  cars,  should  they  not  be  required, 
at  least  in  all  new  rolling  stock,  whether  subway,  surface  or 
elevated?  If  all  cars  had  the  maximum  number  of  cross  seats, 
there  would  be  no  difficulty  in  providing  enough  seats  for  all 
passengers  at  the  rush  hours  ;  the  excuse  of  the  need  of  standing 
room  is  no  longer  a  reasonaljle  one. 

Should   the   Montreal   system   of   collecting   fares   be   adopted 
here? 

OuSERXATIOjXS — 

The  manager  of  the  jMontreal  Street  Railway  system  has 
recently  worked  out  an  improved  system  of  collecting  fares 
which  appears  to  have  marked  advantages,  and  is  under  con- 
sidcratir)n  in  Xew  York.  The  conductor  stands  always  on  the 
rear  platform,  where  he  can  see  passengers  getting  on  and  off 
and  so  prevents  accidents.  After  passengers  have  got  on,  just 
before  they  enter  the  body  of  the  car,  they  deposit  their  fares 
in  a  fare  box  in  front  of  the  conductor,  just  as  they  drop  tickets 
in  the  gate  box  at  elevated  and  subway  stations,  a  practice 
from  which  the  idea  came.  The  conductor  does  not  touch  the 
fare  money,  but  merely  makes  change  and  issues  transfers. 
The  platforms  on  the  Montreal  cars  are  now  made  longer, 
so  that  they  will  hold  as  many  people  as  are  likely  to  get  on 
at  anv  one  point.     A  car  can  then  start  as  soon  as  the  pas- 


36 

sengers  are  on  the  platform,  and  fares  be  collected  while  the 
car  is  getting  under  \va}'.  lY^ople  in  Montreal  have  two  places 
to  get  on  and  two  to  g^et  off  a  car^two  places  to  board  at  the 
rear  and  one  to  leave ;  also  a  door  and  step  for  leaving  at  the 
front  end.  The  advantage  to  the  public  of  this  fare  system  is  a 
reduction  in  accidents,  as  the  conductor  is  always  on  the  rear  plat- 
form to  watch  the  steps.  The  entrances  and  exits  are  wholly  sep- 
arate. The  advantages  to  a  company  are.  a  reduction  in  the  loss 
of  fares,  as  none  can  be  missed  and  none  stolen  by  a  conductor. 
The  reduction  in  accidents  means  a  decrease  in  the  cost  of  dam- 
ages. Several  types  of  cars  are  suitable  for  this  fare  system  and 
a  trial  of  it  seems  well  worth  while. 


Miscellaneous — Some  other  matters  that  need  improvement. 

0;3SERVAT10NS — 

Besides  the  points  already  mentioned,  a  number  of  other 
matters  appear  to  need  attention.  None  of  the  surface  cars 
have  sufficient  or  satisfactory  signs,  especially  as  compared 
with  the  cars  in  Berlin.  Lights  are  not  bright  enough; 
seats  are  not  comfortable  enough  ;  names  of  streets  are  not 
regularly  and  clearly  called  out ;  not  every  stopping  place 
is  distinctly  marked  by  signs  as  in  some  other  cities  ;  employees  are 
not  well  trained  nor  supplied  witli  pocket  guides  of  local  informa- 
tion, such  as  are  fm"ni?hcd  to  the  police;  no  jacks  and  other 
emergency  tools  on  every  car,  as  in  Berlin  and  other  cities ;  cars 
are  far  too  noisy ;  interruptions  of  power  too  frequent :  flat  wheels 
are  still  too  common. 


37 

II.     IMPROVEMENT  IN  CONSTRUCTION  OF  EXIST- 
ING LINES. 

I.  THE  SUBWAY. 

In  the  interest  of  good  sanitation,  should  not  existing  and  fu- 
ture subways  have  concrete  floors? 

Observations — 

It  is  very  evident  to  the  lay  observer  that  the  floor  of  the 
present  subway,  owing  to  the  rough  surface  of  the  ballast,  is 
becoming  very  foul  and  unhealthful.  particularly  at  stations. 
Such  a  condition  should  not  be  permitted. 

The  Philadelphia  subway  has  carefully  drained  concrete 
floors  without  any  ballast,  and  a  track  construction  which 
appears  safer  and  more  permanent,  as  well  as  cleaner,  than  the 
track  in  the  New  York  subwav. 


Is  the  ventilation  being  improved  as  fast  as  possible? 

Observatjons — 

People  still  complain  that  the  subway  air  is  not  good,  though 
chemical  tests  have  shown  nothing  injurious,  and  the  increased 
number  of  openings  to  the  outer  air  has  caused  decidedly  better 
ventilation.  In  winter,  draughts  of  cold  air  from  the  street 
down  into  the  stations  are  still  unremedied  and  constitute  the 
chief  danger  to  health  in  the  subway,  especially  in  the  case  of 
the  employees  working  in  the  stations.  All  the  entrances  to 
the  Boston  subway  are  provided  with  doors,  and  these  are 
needed  in  New  York,  at  least  in  the  winter.  In  the  Berlin  sub- 
way and  elevated  stations  the  ticket  takers  are  sheltered  in 
glass  enclosed  booths.  There  appears  to  be  only  one  such 
shelter  in  the  subway. 

There  would  be  no  need  of  such  excessive  draughts  down  the 
New  York  subway  stairs  if  there  were  adeciuate  openings  to  the 
streets  nearby.  No  steps  have  been  taken  as  yet  to  reduce 
the  excessive  amount  of  heat  given  off  by  the  subway  trains. 


38 

The  most  effecti\'e  remedy  would  Ije  the  introduetion  of  side 
door  cars,  since  they  wouhl  take  far  less  power  for  the  same 
schedule.    The  shorter  stojj  at  stations  would  reduce  the  speed 

re(|uired  in  maintain  the  schedule. 

Should  not  fire  hydrants  be  placed  in  all  parts  of  the  subway 
for  protection? 

Obser\atio-\s — 

The  suljway  as  at  i)resent  constructed  has  no  lire  hydrants, 
and  in  case  of  fire  it  is  necessary  for  the  regular  Fire  Department 
to  hring-  its  hose  to  the  subway,  attach  it  to  hydrants  nearest  the 
station  in  the  vicinity  of  the  tire,  and  then  to  drag  the  hose 
down  the  station  openings  and  along  the  subway  to  the  point 
of  conria^ration.  It  is  highl}'  important  that  there  should  be 
hydrants  with  hose  attached  in  the  subway  itself,  so  located 
that  the\'  would  be  within  easy  reach  of  fire  caused  h\  an^' 
accident  and  ready  for  instant  use,  as  they  are  in  the  I'oston 
sul)waA-. 


Should    not    emergency    stairways    be    placed    between    all 
stations? 

Obsern'atioxs — 

Stairways  have  been  built  in  connection  with  some  of  the  new 
ventilating  chamjjers.  Such  emergenc\'  stairways  should  l)e  placed 
between  all  stations  where  not  already  installed.  Without  such 
stairways,  in  case  of  an  accident  it  would  be  necessary  for  passen- 
gers in  some  places  to  walk  at  least  five  blocks  bef(jre  finding  an 
exit.  Passengers  obliged  to  go  this  distance  would  be  likely  to 
be  suffocated  if  there  were  a  rapidl}-  burning  fire  in  the  sub- 
waw  as  on  the  occasion  of  the  Paris  disaster. 


39 
2.   ELEVATED  ROADS. 

Why  should  elevated  roads  remain  noisy? 

Observations — • 

]\Inch  of  the  noise  with  which  Xew  York  is  afflicted 
comes  from  the  vibration  of  the  elevated  roads.  In  Berlin 
twentv-five  years  ago  an  effective  remedy  for  this  vibration 
and  noise  was  fonnd  in  the  use  of  ballast  on  a  solid  floor.  This 
remedv  has  since  been  adopted  with  great  success  on  the  ele- 
vated lines  in  Berlin,  Paris  and  Philadelphia,  and  is  widely 
used  on  steam  railroad  bridges  and  trestles  in  this  country.  A 
recent  test  of  the  eft'ect  of  ballasting  an  ordinary  elevated 
structure  showed  that  the  total  noise  was  reduced  at  least  80 
per  cent.  The  cost  of  such  an  alteration  would  be  about  a 
tenth  or  less  of  the  original  cost  of  an  elevated  road.  The 
added  weight  is  regarded  as  no  more  injurious  than  the  exist- 
ing vibration.  Existing  tracks  and  ties  need  merely  to  be 
raised  and  a  concrete  floor  with  ballast  inserted.  The  Burling- 
ton Railroad  has  recently  been  doing  this  with  its  l)ridges 
while  the  tracks  were  in  use.  The  structure  can  ))e  painted 
white  underneath,  like  tbe  Xew  York  Central  viaduct  on  Park 
avenue,  making  th.e  street  brighter  l^elow.  All  new  elevated 
structures  and  elevated  portions,  if  any,  of  future  subways 
should,  of  course,  be  noiseless.  In  Berlin,  Paris  and  Philadelphia, 
where  the  elevated  roads  are  ballasted,  no  damages  have  had  to  be 
paid  to  property  owners. 


Should  not  drip  pans  be  required  at  all  street  crossings? 

Ol'.SERVATIOXS 

If  solid  floors  were  provided  on  the  elevated  structures  no 
drip  pans  would  be  needed.  Pending  such  alteration  no  cross- 
ing should  remain  without  a  protection  to  foot  passengers. 
The  Manhattan  lines  have  such  pans  at  many  crossings.  In 
Brooklvn  there  are  but  few. 


40 
3.  SURFACE  ROADS. 

Should  not  all  horse-car  lines  be  electrified  at  once? 

Observations— 

In  Manhattan,  according  to  the  State  Raih-oad  Commissioners' 
reports,  there  are  341.43  miles  of  single  track.  r)n  75.59  miles 
horses  are  still  used  as  motive  power.  New  York  City  is  the 
only  large  city  in  the  Ignited  States  using  such  an  antiquated 
system.  The  public,  on  the  promise  of  the  companies,  has 
been  expecting  the  transformation  for  years.  Recently  the 
company  again  assured  the  citizens  of  the  east  side  that  the 
horse  cars  would  be  replaced  with  modern  equipment  very 
soon.  There  is  ample  justification  for  peremptory  action  on 
the  ]:)art  of  the  Commission. 

Cannot  some  method  of  electrification  be  found  better  than 
the  overhead  trolley  or  the  conduit  system? 

Op.si:R\A'rio:\s — 

The  obvious  dra\vl:)acks  of  the  overhead  trollev  system,  with 
its  live  wires  and  their  annoying  if  not  dangerous  breaks,  led  to 
the  requiring  of  the  underground  trolley  in  Manhattan.  This,  too, 
has  drawbacks,  as  from  short  circuits,  flooding  by  water,  too  much 
metal  in  the  street,  besides  being  more  than  twice  as  expensive  to 
construct,  as  the  overhead  trolley  system.  This  last  factor 
tends  to  reduce  the  mileage  of  track  and  delays  electrification 
of  horse  car  lines,  llie  impossibility  of  operating  a  conduit 
system  along  West  street,  on  account  of  the  possible  flooding 
of  the  conduit  during  high  tides,  emphasizes  the  need  of  some 
other  type  of  electric  construction.  The  successful  use  of  the 
surface  contact  system  in  Wolverhampton,  England,  suggests  an 
investigation  of  its  feasibility,  particularly-  as  flooding  by  water 
does  not  incapacitate  it.  This  contact  system  can  l)e  installed  for 
about  $75,000  a  mile  and  appears  to  be  safer  and  more  reliable 
for  any  surface  lines  than  either  the  overhead  or  the  underground 
systems,  judging  by  long  and  severe  tests  in  actual  t»])eration  m 
the  above  named  cit\-. 


41 
Should  not  unused  tracks  be  removed? 

Oe  ser  vat  jo  n  s — 

In  Manhattan  alone  there  are  19.67  miles  of  street  car  track 
practically  unused.  They  are  a  hindrance  to  traffic.  A  careful 
examination  should  be  made  of  the  assumed  right  of  the  com- 
panies in  the  franchises  they  are  attempting  to  keep  alive.  If 
their  franchises  are  still  valid,  a  compromise  might  be  reached 
which  would  permit  the  company  to  take  up  the  tracks  and 
still  retain  their  rights. 

To  what  extent  are  car  houses  protected  against  fire? 

Obser\-ations — 

In  Manhattan  foiu'  car  houses  have  been  burned  in  the  last 
year,  one  fire  consuming  over  300  cars  and  requiring  the  run- 
ning of  open  cars  even  in  April  to  meet  the  needs  of  the  traffic. 
New  car  houses  in  other  cities  are  now  made  fireproof,  and 
those  that  are  non-fireproof  are  protected  l^v  automatic 
sprinklers,  so  that  a  fire  starting  in  a  car  is  put  out  before  it 
spreads  even  to  another  car.  Should  not  existing  as  well  as 
new  car  houses  in  New  York  City  be  equipped  with  effective 
sprinkler  systems  and  partition  walls,  and  all  new  structures 
be  made  fireproof? 


III.     EXTENDING    OR    COMPLETING    EXISTING 
LINES  OR  LINES  UNDER  CONTRACT. 

The  present  luisettled  financial  conditions,  which  seem 
likely  to  continue  for  some  time,  and  the  fact  that  no  bids 
were  received  when  through  subway  routes  were  recently  ad- 
vertised, indicate  that  it  may  be  difficult  and  perhaps  impossi- 
ble to  provide  in  the  immediate  future  for  the  construction 
of  new  through  lines.  This  should  not  delay,  however, 
the  construction  of  minor  and  comparatively  inexpensive  ex- 
tensions to  existing  lines,  where  such  extensions  will  greatly 
improve  the  service.     These  extensions  should,   in   our  judg- 


42 

ment.  be  constructed  by  the  City,  and  subsequently  leased  for 
operating"  purposes. 

Should  not  immediate  steps  be  taken  to  complete  the  subway 
loop? 

OCSEIUATIOXS 

The  Brooklyn-AJanhattan  sulnvay  loop  as  at  first  planned  was 
designed  to  include,  besides  the  portion  now  under  contract 
extending  from  the  Williamsburg  to  the  Brooklyn  Bridge,  a 
line  down  AA'illiam  street,  thence  via  tunnel  from  Old 
Slip  to  Montague  street  in  Brooklyn,  thence  under  Fulton,  VCW- 
loughby.  Flatbush  avenue,  Lafayette  avenue  and  Broadway  to 
Williamsburg  Bridge,  completing  a  loop.  The  Court  Commis- 
sioners failed  to  recommend  William  street  as  a  feasible  route,  so 
that  portion  was  abandoned  and  the  loop  was  temporarily  ended 
at  Brooklyn  Jlridge. 

In  our  judgment  Nassau  street  rather  than  William  street 
should  ha\'e  been  used  for  this  loop  route,  since  it  runs  in 
front  of  lirooklyn  Bridge  and  would  allow  trains  to  pass  from 
it  on  to  the  bridge.  As  now  planned  Route  No.  3  (Third  ave- 
nue route)  is  plotted  for  Nassau  street,  but  it  might  be  pos- 
sible to  secure  from  the  court  a  permit  to  change  Route  No. 
3  to  \\'illiam  street  and  Route  No.  9  (the  sul^way  loop  route) 
to  Nassau  street.  In  this  way  an  extension  of  the  loop  could 
be  contracted  for  at  once  to  continue  south  into  the  office 
district,  wlience  it  could  return  to  Brooklyn  by  a  new  tunnel. 
Without  this  extension  all  passengers  will  be  delivered  at  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge  terminal,  already  the  most  congested  spot 
in  the  city.  In  our  judgment  this  extension  should  be  under- 
taken at  <3nce. 

Should  not  the  extension  to  Prospect  Park  be  undertaken? 

ObSI:K\  ATloXS — 

When  Contrp.ct  No.  2  (the  Brooklyn-liattery  tunnel)  was  ad- 
vertised it  wa.^  tlie  intention  not  only  to  build  the  subway  up  Flat- 
bush  avenue  to  the  Long  Island  Railroad  station,  but  to  continue 


43 

it  to  the  south  side  of  Prospect  Park.  The  contract  for  this 
section,  however,  was  not  awarded.  This  extension  would 
accommodate  a  very  large  and  populous  territory  that  is  not 
now  well  served  by  transit  lines.  It  seems  unfortunate  that 
anything  should  have  arisen  to  delay  the  awarding  of  this 
contract,  and  the  matter  should  be  reopened  for  further  con- 
sideration as  early  as  possible. 

Should  the  contract  for  the  Fourth  avenue  route  in  Brooklyn 
be  advertised  at  once? 

Observations — 

The  Board  of  Rapid  Transit  before  going  out  of  office  decided 
to  proceed  with  a  subway  in  Fourth  avenue  in  Brooklyn.  Ap- 
parently no  section  of  Brooklyn  needs  a  rapid  transit  line  more 
than  does  this  territory.  It  not  only  would  accommodate  a 
large  resident  population,  but  would  serve  as  a  rapid  transit 
line  to  Coney  Island,  and  later  a  branch  could  be  extended  to 
Staten  Island,  opening  up  one  of  the  most  beautiful  resident  sec- 
tions in  the  vicinity  of  New  York.  The  question  of  letting  con- 
tracts for  this  line  will  no  doubt  be  one  of  the  first  matters  to 
come  before  the  new  Con.imission,  and  in  our  judgment  it  should 
be  undertaken  without  delav. 


Should  not  an  additional  subway  line  be  contracted  for,  run- 
ning from  Times  Square  south  to  the  Battery? 

Observations — 

In  April,  1907,  the  Board  of  Rapid  Transit  advertised  for 
bids  to  construct  a  subway  from  Times  Square  south  to  the 
Battery  via  Seventh  avenue,  Greenwich  avenue,  and  West 
Broadway,  and  also  north  from  that  point  via  Seventh  avenue 
and  Central  Park  West  extending  into  The  Bronx ;  also  for  a 
through  Lexington  avenue  subway.     No  bids  were  received. 

The  portion  south  of  Times  Square  was  advertised  as  a 
separate  section,  and  was  so  planned  as  to  connect  with  the 
present  subway  at  Times  Square,  forming  thereby  a  complete 
north  and  south  line  on  the  west  side,  if  the  contract  \\'^re  secured 


44 

by  the  Interborough  Company.  The  necessity  for  an  additional 
Hne  soutli  from  Forty-second  street  is  occasioned  by  the  large 
number  of  people  using  the  Grand  Central  Station.  In  all  prob- 
ability in  the  near  future  there  will  be  as  many  people  desiring  to 
go  south  from  the  Grand  Central  subway  station  as  now  go  south 
from  north  of  that  point.  The  large  number  of  people  at 
present  entering  the  subway  at  Grand  Central  Station  conditions 
the  running  of  trains  in  the  \\hole  sulnxay,  so  that  it  requires  a 
much  longer  time  for  Ih'onx  or  Kingsbridge  passengers  to  reach 
the  Kattery  than  it  woukl  if  their  trains  could  run  south  from 
Times  Square  b\-  a  new  line. 

According  to  a  count  taken  on  ^lay  25.  1907,  there  were 
3,001  people  entering  the  subway  from  the  Grand  Central 
Station  during  one  hour,  all  going  south.  Within  a  short  time 
the  electrification  of  the  New  York  Central  and  the  New  York, 
New  Haven  &  Hartford  Railroads  will  undoubtedly  greatly 
increase  the  number  brought  to  this  point.  In  addition  to  this 
increase  the  Belmont  tunnel,  running  from  Queens  and  mak- 
ing connection  with  the  present  subway  at  Forty-second 
street,  will  undoubtedly  bring  several  thousands  in  addition 
to  this  station,  so  that  within  three  or  four  years  there  will 
probably  be  required  from  30  to  40  trains  per  hour  to  carry  the 
passengers  entering  the  subway  at  the  Grand  Central  Station. 
If  such  a  condition  develops,  it  will  retard  the  traffic  coming 
from  north  of  Fort\-second  street  much  more  seriously  than  at 
present.  The  quickest  and  chea]3est  solution  of  this  impending 
difficulty — in  addition  to  the  installation  of  side  door  cars  in  the 
present  subv.ay- — will  be  to  construct  the  proposed  subway  south 
from  Times  Square  so  as  to  get  an  additional  route  for  the  trains 
coming  from  The  Bronx  and  Kingsbridge. 

Since  the  construction  of  this  line  is  very  imperative,  and 
inasmuch  as  no  bids  were  received  when  it  was  advertised,  in 
our  judgment  it  is  advisable  for  the  Public  Service  Commis- 
sion to  undertake  to  build  this  line  with  City  monev  and  subse- 
(•[uently  to  lease  it  to  some  operator. 


45 

Should    a    third    track    be    installed    on    Second    and    Third 
avenues? 

Obsekvatioxs — 

Repeated  applications  have  been  made  for  permission  to 
put  a  third  track  for  express  trains  on  the  Second  and  Third 
avenue  elevated  lines.  These  applications  have  been  refused, 
chiefly  on  the  ground  that  to  extend  or  develop  the  elevated 
roads  on  the  east  side  would  tend  to  discourage  bidders  for 
subways  in  that  section.  In  addition  to  this  main  argument, 
others  were  put  forward  that  the  additional  noise  and  darkening 
of  the  streets  would  be  seriously  objectionable. 

Undoubtedly  these  applications  will  be  renewed  before  the 
present  Commission.  They  will  be  told  that  the  capacity  of  the 
Second  and  Third  avenue  elevated  roads  would  be  greatly  in- 
creased by  the  addition  of  a  third  track  on  each,  and  that  this 
additional  capacity  is  much  needed. 

In  passing  upon  the  application  for  permission  to  place  a 
third  track  on  Second  and  Third  avenues,  the  following  con- 
siderations should  be  borne  in  mind : 

1.  Can  not  the  present  tracks,  with  longer  and  more  frequent 
trains,  accommodate  the  present  traffic,  and  give  rapid  service ; 
if  not,  will  the  third  tracks  afiford  a  large  measure  of  relief? 

2.  Assuming  that  a  third  track  could  be  placed  on  the  Second 
and  Third  Avenue  lines  on  the  level  of  the  present  tracks,  as 
far  south  as  Chatham  Square,  what  plan  is  proposed  for  the 
third  tracks  from  Chatham  Square  to  Brooklyn  Bridge  and 
to  South  Ferry? 

3.  If  the  third  tracks  would  afford  a  substantial  measure 
of  relief,  and  if  a  plan  could  be  devised  for  carrying  them  to 
Brooklyn  Bridge  and  South  Ferry  without  creating  intoler- 
able conditions,  what  effect  would  this  enlargement  of  the 
capacity  of  the  elevated  roads  have  upon  possible  future  bid- 
ders for  subways  under  Lexington,  Third  and  Second  avenues? 

To  ascertain  the  bearing  of  these  questions,  we  would 
strongly  urge  that  before  the  application  is  considered,  the 
operating  company  be  required  to  submit  a  complete  schedule 
of  the  train  service  possible  on  the  existing  tracks,  and  the 
schedule  proposed  on  the  combined  tracks  of  the  two  routes 


46 

when  the  third  track  shall  have  been  completed,  showhig  the 
number  of  trains,  express  and  local,  to  be  operated  :  the  point 
of  departure  and  the  point  of  destination,  and  the  running  time 
of  each  :  and  the  number  of  cars  per  train.  Should  the  schedule 
proposed  for  the  system  after  the  installation  of  a  third  track 
show  a  marked  increase  in  capacity  and  especially  in  speed, 
over  the  greatest  capacity  and  speed  of  the  present  road,  and 
should  this  schedule  be  found,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Com- 
mission, to  be  a  practicable  one,  and  to  afiford  substantial  relief, 
there  remains  to  be  considered  the  means  of  its  accompHsh- 
ment. 

There  are  already  three  tracks  on  considerable  portions  of 
Second  and  Third  avenues,  and  these  could  in  each  case  be 
extended  as  far  south  as  Chatham  Scpiare  on  the  level  of  and 
between  the  present  tracks,  and  this  could  be  done,  in  our 
judgment,  without  a  material  increase  of  the  existing  menace  to 
public  health  and  morals^  or  restriction  of  the  use  of  the  street, 
except  in  Allen  street.  Allen  street  being  narrow  three  tracks 
would  cover  nearly  its  entire  width,  which  would  be  seriously 
objectionable.  Apparently,,  below  Chatham  Scjuare.  it  would  be 
necessary,  in  order  to  secure  safety  in  operation  and  to  permit  of 
the  operation  of  a  through  express  service,  either  to  provide  a 
double-decked  structure  or  to  run  all  Third  avenue  trains  to 
Brooklyn  Bridge,  and  all  Second  avenue  trains  to  South  Ferry. 
A  double-decked  structure  below  Chatham  Square  would  unques- 
tionably be  seriously  objectionable  by  reason  of  the  additional 
noise,  the  obstruction  of  light  and  air.  and  the  disfigurement  of  the 
portion  of  the  city  traversed  by  such  lines,  also  by  offering  addi- 
tional obstructions  to  adequate  fire  protection.  In  our  judgment 
such  objectionable  structures  should  not  be  permitted  in  an\-  par. 
of  thf  city. 

Should  a  feasible  plan  be  devised  that  would  perniit  of  the 
operation  of  express  service  through  Allen  street  or  below 
Chatham  Square  without  serious  injur\-  to  property  or  persons, 
there  still  remains  for  consideration  the  most  importaiU  jxtint  of 
all — the  effect  upon  future  subways. 

When  the  recent  Board  of  Rapid  Transit  advertised  for 
bids  for  a  Lexington  avenue  subway,  no  bids  were  received, 
either   for   the    portion    north    of    Forty-second    street    or   the 


47 

portion  south  of  that  point.  Temporary  causes  may  account  in 
part  for  this  fact.  To  enlarge  the  capacity  of  the  elevated 
lines  on  the  east  side  would  undoubtedly  further  detract  from 
the  attractiveness  to  possible  bidders  of  a  through  east  side 
subway.  The  relief  that  would  be  afforded  by  the  third  tracks 
would  at  best  be  partial  and  inadequate  to  the  demands  of  the 
near  future. 

If  in  the  judgment  of  the  Commission  third  tracks  on  the 
present  elevated  roads  would  interfere  with  the  early  con- 
struction of  a  through  east  side  subway,  a  permit  for  such 
tracks,  in  our  judgment,  should  not  be  granted. 

Should  the  Commission  deem  it  wise  on  mature  consid- 
eration to  grant  permission  for  the  construction  of  the  third 
tracks,  it  should  only  be,  in  our  judgment,  upon  the  agreement 
by  the  company  to  make  their  structures  comparatively  noise- 
less according  to  the  best  known  methods. 


IV.     TYPES  OF  TRANSIT  LINES. 

Is  it  desirable,  in  future  construction,  to  plan  for  the  present 
types  of  rapid  transit  lines? 

The  relief  of  congestion  in  New  York  City,  then,  need  not 
be  delayed  till  new  lines  can  be  provided.  It  is,  in  part,  a  mat- 
ter of  operating  present  cars  by  up-to-date  methods,  and  in 
part  of  getting  up-to-date  cars  and  operating  them  by  up-to- 
date  methods.  If  companies  are  compelled  to  furnish  seats, 
the  long-fostered  congestion,  with  all  its  brutality  and  danger 
to  health  and  life,  will  soon  disappear,  in  spite  of  the  claims 
to  the  contrary. 

In  planning  new  lines,  there  is  need  of  careful  investigation 
of  all  the  various  types  of  transit  lines  now  in  use  in  this 
country  and  elsewhere.  It  is  our  conviction,  as  above  stated, 
that  utilization  of  the  present  subway  to  its  fullest  capacity  by 
the  use  of  side  door  cars  will  provide  a  great  increase  in  facili- 
ties at  low  cost.  But  the  noise,  the  iron  dust,  the  smells,  the 
heat,  the  gales  of  wind  will  remain.  Can  these  be  remedied  in 
the  construction  of  new  subways,  or  are  they  necessary  ac- 


48 

companiments  of  subway  lines?  And  as  to  the  cost — does  the 
failure  to  receive  bids  on  new  subways  mean  that  further  un- 
derground construction  is  too  expensive?  In  spite  of  high 
profits,  has  the  cost  advanced  to  a  figure  too  high  to  attract 
private  capital?  How  far,  too,  can  subways  be  extended  into 
the  suburbs  and  still  pay?  These  cjuestions  are  not  to  be 
easily  dismissed.  Some  of  the  leading  subway  engineers  in 
this  country  and  Europe  have  come  to  believe  that  under- 
ground lines  have  proved  too  undesirable  and  too  expensive 
for  future  extension.  But  what  alternative  is  there?  The 
construction  of  elevated  lines,  even  in  the  suburbs,  is  admit- 
tedly undesirable.  When  viaducts  are  made  as  beautiful  and 
iioiseless  as  in  Berlin,  it  diminishes  the  evils,  but  even  then, 
the  elevated  road  has  disadvantages  that  cannot  be  obviated. 

The  mono-rail  system  has  been  advocated  by  some  engineers 
as  having  fewer  disadvantages  than  the  elevated  roads  and  cost- 
ing much  less  than  subways.  Though  at  least  four  types  of  such 
roads  have  been  invented,  but  one  has  been  in  practical  daily 
operation  so  as  to  prove  its  advantages  or  defects.  This  one  is 
found  in  Germany  and  is  called  the  suspended  mono-rail.  A 
seven-mile  line  has  been  operated  in  the  cities  of  Barmen  and 
Elberfeld  for  over  six  years,  and  a  new  line  is  under  considera- 
tion in  Berlin. 

Those  who  have  thoroughly  examined  this  road  claim  these 
advantages  for  it  over  the  elevated  road  or  subway :  It  is  the  only 
mono-rail  line  that  has  but  one  rail ;  the  only  one  that  has  proved 
its  desirability  for  city  trafiRc.  Not  a  single  passenger  has  been 
injured  in  the  six  years  of  use.  No  train  has  been  derailed,  for 
the  construction  permits  of  no  derailment.  No  person  can  be  run 
over.  The  third  rail  is  overhead,  out  of  the  way.  It  is  quiet,  has 
no  road  bed  to  cut  ofl^  light,  and  costs  only  half  as  much  as  c-.n 
ordinary  elevated  road,  only  one-fifth  as  much  as  a  subway.  It 
ofifers  little  obstruction  to  light  and  air ;  it  tears  up  no  streets, 
■except  for  infrequent  foundations ;  it  requires  no  open  ditch,  no 
delays  to  traffic.  There  are  no  motors  that  shriek,  no  atmosphere 
of  heated  oil  and  iron  to  breathe,  and  practically  no  danger  from 
fire  and  derailment.  Its  low  cost  would  secure  five  times  the 
mileage  possible  with  subways  at  the  same  cost,  so  could  spread 
a  citv  over  a  much  larger  area. 


49 

There  seem  to  be  qualities  and  possibilities  in  this  new  type, 
as  a  rapid  transit  road,  not  obtainable  on  our  established  two-rail 
system.  These  apparent  advantages  should  warrant  a  careful 
study  to  ascertain  whether  this  type  of  road  would  aid  in  the 
solution  of  N"ew  York  City's  transit  problem. 


V.     GENERAL  INVESTIGATION. 

Should  not  a  comprehensive  investigation  be  made  before  a 
general  system  of  transit  is  adopted? 

Observations — 

Though  New  York  City  has  the  most  perplexing  transit 
problem  of  any  city  in  the  world,  owing  to  its  topography,  to 
its  rapidly  increasing  population  and  to  the  great  number  of 
transients  constantly  in  the  city,  yet  a  thorough  and  exhaus- 
tive study  of  its  transit  problem  has  never  been  made.  No 
person  can  wisely  lay  out  transit  lines  that  are  to  be  the  main 
avenues  of  travel  for  generations  to  come  without  answering  at 
least  the  following  questions : 

1.  How  many  people  ride  to  and  from  their  work  in  New 
York  City;  where,  by  districts,  do  they  live;  where,  by  districts, 
do  they  work? 

2.  What  has  been  the  actual  effect  of  new  transit  lines  upon 
the  movement  of  population? 

3.  What  unoccupied  territory  remains  in  the  city  and  its 
vicinity,  and  how  should  this  condition  the  location  of  transit 
lines. 

4.  Where  are  new  business  centers  being  established? 

5.  Is  there  a  tendency  to  move  factories  to  outlying  districts? 

6.  Will  the  increasing-  vehicle  and  pedestrian  traffic  necessi- 
tate any  changes  in  grades  of  street  surfaces  at  street  crossings? 

7.  What  is  the  relative  efficiency  of  bridges  and  tunnels? 

I.  How  many  people  ride  to  and  from  their  work  in  New 
York  City ;  where,  by  districts,  do  they  live ;  where,  by  districts, 
do  they  work?  Transit  lines  cannot  wisely  be  laid  out  in  this  city 
X\n{\\  the  number  of  people  living  and  working  in  the  territory 


so 

that  such  proposed  hires  wiU  serve  is  known ;  not  only  the  number 
that  hve  and  work  in  such  territory,  but  also  the  kind  of  work 
they  do  and  where  their  work  is  likely  to  be.  In  the  present  sub- 
wav,  for  instance,  the  morning-  rush  hour  travel  by  half  hours, 
according  to  an  observation  taken  on  April  9,  1907,  was  as  fol- 
lows: From  7  to  7.30  a.  m.  the  number  of  passengers  carried 
was  4,807;  7.30  to  8  a.  m..  9,211  ;  8  to  8.30  a.  m.,  9,481  ;  8.30  to 
9  a.  m.,  11,493,  which  indicates  that  the  mass  of  the  people  who 
use  the  subway  are  not  day  laborers,  but  are  people  who'  work 
in  offices.  Thus  the  present  subway,  serving  but  one  class  of 
people,  has  short  rush  hours.  \\'ere  it  possible  to  so  locate  a  route 
that  it  would  serve  both  the  laboring  class  and  the  people  who 
work  in  offices,  its  carrying  capacity  would  be  largely  increased, 
inasmuch  as  the  heavy  rush  hour  traffic  would  begin  as  early  as  6 
and  continue  more  or  less  steadily  until  about  9.30  a.  m. 

To  wisely  locate  a  line  requires  a  knowledge  not  only  of  the 
location  of  the  homes  of  the  people,  but  also  of  the  factories 
wherein  they  work,  the  nature  of  these  factories,  the  floor  space 
utilized,  the  number  of  men  employed  ;  also  the  aggregate  amount 
of  floor  space  used  for  office  purposes  and  the  number  of  people 
employed  in  the  district  the  proposed  lines  are  designed  to  serve. 

A  transit  census  should  be  taken  once  a  year  to  ascertain  just 
how  many  people  from  each  local  district  ride  daily  to  their  worK, 
and  what  number  go  from  each  local  district  to  each  other  district. 
This  might  be  done  in  some  years  in  connection  with  the  state 
or  possibly  the  school  census.  Such  a  census,  though  not  so  com- 
plete, is  taken  twice  a  year  by  the  Street  Railway  Company  in 
Berlin,  and  it  might  well  be  undertaken  here  by  our  Public  Service 
Commission. 

2.  What  has  been  the  actual  effect  of  new  transit  lines  upon 
the  movement  of  population?  An  exhaustive  study  of  the  effect 
of  the  building  of  the  present  subway  on  the  movement  of  popu- 
lation has  not  been  made.  We  know  in  a  general  way  that  the 
subway  caused  many  people  to  seek  residence  in  upper  Manhattan 
and  The  Bronx  where  a  large  number  of  apartment  buildings 
were  erected.  The  building  of  the  line  caused  a  decided  increase 
in  real  estate  values.  With  all  these  larger  facts  we  are  familiar ; 
but  are  the  following  facts  known — the  occupation  of  the  people 
who  have  moved  to  these  new  sections  ;  what  effect  the  building 


51 

of  tlicse  new  apartmcnls  has  had  upon  rents  in  that  vicinity;  how 
far  ])eople  ^\"ill  walk  to  the  sul)way  ;  how  many  use  a  surface  line 
in  order  to  reach  the  subway ;  what  eiTect  it  would  have  upon 
further  niovement  of  ])opulation  if  people  were  given  seats  in- 
stead of  being  packed  into  cars  where  they  cannot  even  secure  a 
strap  for  support?  A  study  of  these  questions  should  be  of  great 
value  in  laying  out  other  subway  lines. 

3.  What  unoccupied  territory  remains  in  the  city  and  its 
vicinit}' ;  and  Jiow  should  this  condition  the  location  of  transit 
lines?  The  existing  subway  was  built  largely  through  a  populous 
territory,  Imt  partially  thrcMigh,  an  unciccupied  district.  It  is  thus 
able  to  provide  better  transit  facilities  in  districts  where  inade- 
quate service  was  formerlv  furnished,  and  it  also  ])rovided  transit 
facilities  for  a  new  territory.  Two  motives  should  govern  the 
location  of  future  lines,  b^irst,  it  should  serve  a  district  already 
built  up  but  poorh-  furnishec'  with  transit  facilities;  second,  it 
should  extend  beyond  such  district  into  an  unoccupied  territory 
so  as  to  furnish  an  opportunity  for  people  now  living  in  congested 
districts  to  move  into  the  outlying  territory.  This  involves  a  close 
study  of  poi)ulation  groups,  and  of  un()ccu])ied  territory,  and  its 
character. 

4.  \Adiere  are  new  business  centers  being  established?  At  th.c 
present  time  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  is  the  one  main  business 
center  of  greater  Xew  York  City,  and  the  great  bulk  of  passen- 
gers using  the  transit  lines  daily  come  to  this  district.  Should 
new  business  centers  be  developed  elsewhere  in  the  city  in  tlie 
future,  a  portion  of  this  daily  traffic  would  be  diverted  to  them 
and  transit  lines  accommodating  such  new  centers  would  bo 
needed.  A  studv  of  the  tendency  to  form  new  centers  of  busi- 
ness activity  is  very  essential  in  determining  the  location  of  any 
proposed  route. 

5.  Is  there  a  tendencv  to  move  factories  to  outlying  districts? 
Some  hold  that,  owing  to  its  large  amount  of  water  front,  j\Ian- 
hattan  should  lie  largely  devoted  to  manufacturing  and  to  whole- 
saling, and  that  people  should  live  in  the  outskirts  of  tire  city  and 
come  daily  to  this  one  center  of  business.  Others  believe  that 
manufacturers  will  find  it  to  their  advantage  to  move  to  the  less 
populous  districts  because  of  cheaper  land  and  taxes.  Should 
there  be  any  general  movement  of  factories  to  the  outskirts  of  the 
city,  it  would  materially  afl'ect  the  rapid  transit  problem. 


52 

6.  Will  the  increasing-  vehicle  and  pedestrian  traffic  necessi- 
tate an\-  changvs  in  grades  of  street  surfaces  at  street  crossings? 
Some  of  our  streets  are  becoming  so  congested  by  vehicle  traffic 
that  it  is  almost  impossible  not  only  to  operate  surface  lines  upon 
such  streets,  but  even  to  accommodate  the  vehicle  traffic  under  the 
present  conditions.  To  what  extent  will  this  increase?  As  an  il- 
lustration, consider  the  crossing  of  Park  row.  Chambers  and 
Duane  streets.  Here  the  wagon  traffic  is  so  heavy  that  it  very 
seriously  retards  the  operation  of  surface  cars  on  Park  row. 
If  this  traffic  increases,  how  is  it  to  be  handled,  especially  at 
this  point,  inasnuich  as  one  street  cannot  be  depressed  and 
the  other  raised,  so  as  to  abolish  grade  crossing,  owing  to  the 
fact  that  subways  are  or  will  be  under  Elm,  Centre  and  Park 
row.  It  seems  very  essential,  therefore,  before  locating  new 
subways,  to  attempt  to  solve  the  problem  as  to  whether  the 
surface  traffic  in  the  future  is  likely  to  increase  to  such  an  extent 
as  to  require  a  change  in  the  level  of  street  crossings,  which  might 
be  rendered  impossible  by  the  presence  of  a  subway  beneath  the 
streets  near  the  surface.  The  problem  of  accommodating  pe- 
destrians on  the  narrow  streets  in  the  lower  end  of  Alanhattan  is 
daily  growing  more  serious.  Take,  for  instance,  Cortlandt  street. 
At  the  present  time  it  is  badly  congested.  What  will  be  the  con- 
dition when  the  new  City  Investment  building  and  the  Hudson 
companies'  terminal  are  completed,  turning  out  into  that  street 
at  the  closing  of  office  hours  many  thousands  of  people  in  addi- 
tion to  the  present  number,  which  nearly  fills  the  street?  In  the 
not  distant  future  we  may  be  forced  to  use  elevated  sidewalks  or 
sub-surface  moving  platfonus  in  lower  IManhattan  to  accommo- 
date foot  passengers.  These  conditions  must  be  taken  into  con- 
sideration in  connection  with  planning  any  subway  transit  lines. 

/.  What  is  the  relative  efficiency  of  bridg'es  and  tunnels? 
Exhaustive  stud^-  as  to  the  relative  efficienc}-  of  bridges  and  tun- 
nels has  not  lieen  made.  Some  engineers  claim  that  timnels  are 
objectionable  from  almost  every  standpoint ;  that  they  are  inade- 
quate for  rapid  transit  and  wlmlh-  r.nservicealjlv  for  vehicle 
traffic.  Other  engineers  hold  that  tunnels  are  jierfectly  practi- 
cable, cheaper  to  build  and  the  cost  of  maintenance  is  very  much 
less  than  that  of  bridges,  blither  more  bridges  or  more  tunnels 
are  pressingly  needed  across  East  River,  and  the  relative  merits 


of  the  two  forms  of  spanning  the  river  should  he  most  exhaust- 
ive!}' considered  as  early  as  possihle. 

.\n  investigation  of  the  transit  needs  of  London  was  recently 
made  bv  a  Renal  Traffic  Commission.  The  report  of  this  Com- 
mission was  made  in  1905-6,  and  covers  3,759  pages,  with  388 
plates  and  diagrams,  and  is  embodied  in  eight  volumes.  Though 
it  could  not  be  closely  followed  as  a  basis  for  an  investigation  of 
New  York  transit  conditions,  yet  it  would  be  suggestive. 

The  welfare  of  New  York  City  is  dependent  to  a  greater  de- 
gree upon  rapid  transit  than  that  of  any  other  large  city.  The 
difficulty  of  getting  to  and  from  the  lower  end  of  Manhattan  has 
resulted  in  a  congestion,  in  certain  portions  of  this  area,  of 
greater  density  than  elsewhere  exists.  Close  packing  together  of 
people  is  destructive  of  moral  as  well  as  physical  health.  For 
this  reason  above  all  others,  it  is  imperative  that  every  effort 
should  be  exerted  to  secure  rapid,  el^cient  and  cheap  transit. 

The  rapid  increase  in  population  may  oblige  large  numbers  of 
people  to  live  fifteen  to  twenty-five  miles  from  the  centre  of  the 
city.  V>\  the  present  means  of  transit  a  much  shorter  distance 
than  this,  from  man\'  points,  recfuires  from  one  to  two  hours,  thus 
taking  two  to  four  hours  from  the  day  of  each  passenger. 

The  cost  of  transit  to  the  people  of  this  city  is  not  measured 
by  the  cost  of  construction  of  transit  lines  or  the  amount  paid 
to  transportation  companies ;  a  far  more  serious  item  is  the 
heavy  demand  made  daily  upon  the  time  of  thousands  of  per- 
sons by  our  unnecessarily  slow  transit  which  consumes  hours 
which  otherwise  might  be  devoted  to  productive  labor,  to 
recreation  or  the  enjoyment  of  the  home. 

Arc  we  to  develop  a  more  rapid  means  of  transit  or  is  the 
growth  of  the  city  to  be  conditioned  or  secured  at  the  expense  of 
the  moral,  the  mental  and  the  physical  health  of  our  citizens? 


54 

VI.     SUMMARY  OF  RECOMMENDATIONS. 

Our  Recommendations,  based  on  the  Preceding  Statement  of 
Facts  and  Opinions,  May  Be  Summarized  as  Follows : 

RELIEF  FOR  THE  BROOKLYN  BRIDGE  CRUSH. 

1.  For  immediate  relief 

(a)  Change  the  operation  of  trains  in  the  terminal  of  the 
Brooklyn  Bridge  during  rush  hours  so  that  two  or  more  plat- 
forms will  be  used  for  loading  the  passengers  instead  of  but 
one,  as  now. 

(b)  Establish  a  surface  car  line  from  the  east  end  of  Will- 
iamsburg Bridge  to  City  Hall. 

2.  As  soon  as  may  be, 

(a)  Run  all  elevated  trains  crossing  Brooklyn  Bridge  into  a 
subsurface  terminal  in  order  to  distribute  the  crowd,  to  make 
transferring  easy,  and  to  lessen  stair  climbing. 

(b)  Endeavor  to  effect  a  trafftc  agreement  between  the 
Interborough  Company  and  the  Brooklyn  Rapid  Transit  Com- 
pany to  issue  free  transfers  at  Borough  Hall  and  beyond,  to 
and  from  the  new  Brooklyn-Battery  tunnel. 

SUBWAYS. 

I.     RELIEF  FOR  CONGESTION. 

1.  Require  the  installation  of  a  new  equipment  of  cars  hav- 
ing nine  to  twelve  doors  on  each  side,  which  will  permit  of 
much  speedier  entrance  and  exit,  and  thereby  a  much  shorter 
station  stop.  A  shorter  station  stop  will  enable  the  Company 
to  operate  many  more  trains. 

2.  Require  all  cars  to  be  equipped  with  cross  seats,  so  that 
the  maximum  number  of  sittings  will  be  provided  in  each  car. 

3.  See  that  the  Company  provides  frequent  trains  and 
enough  seats  during  slack  hours  and  on  Sundays  for  all  pas- 
sengers. 


5: 


II.  ADDITIONAL      CONVENIENCES      AND      SAFE- 

GUARDS. 

1.  Require  illuminated  signs  on  the  outside  of  every  car  of 
all  trains. 

2.  Require  destination  signs  on  the  interior  of  all  cars. 

3.  Require  more  station  signs. 

4.  Require  better  light  for  reading  in  the  cars. 

5.  Engage  for  permanent  service  a  qualified  sanitary  ex- 
pert. 

III.  MODIFICATIONS  IN  THE  PRESENT  FORM  OF 

CONSTRUCTION. 

1.  Require  concrete  floors  throughout  the  subway  to  insure 
sanitary  conditions.  These  should  be  provided  at  once  in  the 
vicinity  of  stations. 

2.  Require  fire  hydrants  in  the  subway. 

3.  Require  the  building  of  more  emergency  stairways. 

4.  Provide  additional  means  of  ventilation. 

IV.  PROJECTED    LINES   THAT    SHOULD   BE    COM- 

PLETED. 

1.  Complete  the  Subway  Loop  by  extending  it  south  from 
Brooklyn  Bridge  through  Nassau  Street,  thence  by  a  new  tun- 
nel to  Brooklyn. 

2.  Consider  the  advisability  of  extending  the  line  now  being 
constructed  under  Flatbush  Avenue,  Brooklyn,  to  the  south 
side  of  Prospect  Park. 

3.  Contract  for  the  Fourth  Avenue  line  in  Brooklyn. 

4.  Build  with  the  city's  money  a  subway  south  from  Times 
Square  to  the  Battery,  via  Seventh  Avenue  and  West  Broad- 
way, if  private  bidders  cannot  be  found  for  this  line. 


56 
ELEVATED  ROADS. 

I.     RELIEF  FOR  OVERCROWDING. 

1.  Cause  additional  trains  to  be  run  on  all  lines. 

2.  Cause  trains  to  be  lengthened  on  all  lines. 


II.     ADDITIONAL      CONVENIENCES      AND      SAFE- 
GUARDS. 

1.  Compel  the  inclosing  of  platforms. 

2.  Enforce  the   Sanitary   Code,   which   provides  that  cars 
shall  be  "  carefully  and  thoroughly  cleaned  "  daily. 


III.     MODIFICATION  IN  THE  STRUCTURE. 

1.  (a)  Do  not  grant  a  franchise  for  a  third  track  on  Second 
and  Third  Avenue  lines  unless  a  parallel  subway  has  already 
been  contracted  for  or  the  Commission  is  fully  satisfied  that 
the  extra  service  thereby  furnished  will  not  deter  would-be 
operators  from  bidding  on  an  east  side  subway  line. 

(b)  Do  not  grant  such  franchise  if  it  provides  for  a  double 
deck  structure  at  any  point. 

(c)  Even  though  the  Commission  becomes  satisfied  that 
the  above  indicated  conditions  are  met,  do  not  grant  such 
franchise  unless  the  proposed  schedule  submitted  by  the  Com- 
pany provides  adequate  and  rapid  service,  and  in  addition  the 
Manhattan  Elevated  Company  agrees  to  change  its  road  bed 
the  full  width  of  its  structure  and  the  entire  length  of  the  third 
track,  according  to  the  best  known  methods  for  the  reduction 
of  noise. 

2.  As  soon  as  practicable  require  the  same  alteration  of  all 
elevated  lines  for  the  reduction  of  noise. 

3.  Require  drip  pans  at  all  crossings. 


57 
SURFACE  ROADS. 

I.     RELIEF  FOR  OVERCROWDING. 

1.  Require  the  running  of  more  cars.     More  cars  are  pos- 
sible upon  every  line. 

2.  Where  necessary,  require  that  cars  be  run  in  pairs. 

3.  On  the  badly  congested  streets  require  experiment  with 
double  deck  cars. 


II.      ADDITIONAL      CONVENIENCES      AND      SAFE- 
GUARDS. 

1.  Provide  for  universal  transfer  system  between  all  sur- 
face, elevated  and  subway  lines. 

2.  Require  inclosed  vestibules  on  all  cars. 

3.  Provide  for  the  equipping  of  all  cars  with  power  brakes 
so  as  to  make  possible  a  quick  stop. 

4.  Require  effective  wheel  guards  to  reduce  the  number  of 
fatalities. 

5.  Require  cross  seats  on  all  cars. 

6.  Induce  experiments  with  the  Montreal  fare  system. 

7.  Require  clearer  destination  signs. 

8.  Require  that  all   conductors  be  furnished  with  pocket 
guides  of  local  information. 

9.  Require   that  a  majority  of  the  cars  be  supplied  with 
jacks  and  emergency  tools. 

10.  Require  that  cars  be  kept  clean. 


58 


III.     MODIFICATIONS  NEEDED  IN  TRACKS,  ROAD- 
BED AND  CAR  HOUSES. 

1.  Require  the   immediate  electrification  of  all  lines  now 
using  horse  cars. 

2.  Cause  the  removal  of  unused  car  tracks  so  far  as  the 
Commission  may  have  power  to  do  so. 

3.  Require  that  automatic  sprinklers  be  installed  in  present 
car  houses  and  that  all  new  ones  be  built  fireproof. 

TYPES  OF  TRANSIT  LINES. 

Investigate  whether  the  types  of  rapid  transit  lines  in  use 
in  this  city  are  the  ones  best  adapted  to  future  needs. 

GENERAL  INVESTIGATION. 


Make  a  comprehensive  investigation,  before  laying  out  a 
complete  system  of  transit  lines,  as  to 

1.  How  many  people  ride  to  and  from  their  work  in  New 
York  City;  where,  by  districts,  do  they  live;  where,  by  dis- 
tricts, do  they  work? 

2.  What  has  been  the  actual  effect  of  new  transit  lines  upon 
the  movement  of  population? 

3.  What  unoccupied  territory  remains  in  the  city  and  its 
vicinity,  and  how  should  this  condition  the  location  of  transit 
lines? 

4.  Where  are  new  business  centres  being  established? 

5.  Is  there  a  tendency  to  move  factories  to  outlying  dis- 
tricts? 

6.  Will  the  increasing  vehicle  and  pedestrian  traffic  neces- 
sitate any  changes  in  grades  of  street  surfaces  at  street  cross- 
ings? 

7.  What  is  the  relative  efficiency  of  bridges  and  tunnels? 


Jaylord  Bros. 

Makers 
tockton,  Calif. 

PAT.  JAN.  21,  1908 


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